EDUCATION

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has one secondee working for one of the 'big four'. Their role in the Department is Head of the Management Accounting Team (Grade 6). This is a reciprocal agreement and the placement started in October 2012 and will be for a period of up to 12 months.

Australia

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the apology by the Australian Prime Minister for the past treatment of unmarried mothers and the previous policy of forced adoptions in that country; and whether the Prime Minister plans to issue such an apology for similar past practices in this country.

Edward Timpson: The United Kingdom Government has not made any formal response to the apology made by the Australian Government. The Government has no plans to issue a similar apology.

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (a) how much funding his Department allocated to and (b) what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has made no funding allocations to, or held any contracts with, the Big Society Network.

Child Minding

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 381W, on childminding, who the members of the Task and Finish Group for childminder agencies are.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 998W, to the hon. Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell).

Child Minding

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 381W, on childminding, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals (i) have been actively approached by his Department with a view to piloting childminder agencies, (ii) have expressed an interest in piloting childminder agencies and (iii) are currently working with his Department in planning childminder agency pilot schemes.

Elizabeth Truss: In relation to organisations who have expressed an interest in or been approached in relation to our childminder trials, as I set out in the House on 11 June, my officials have written to over 60 organisations with a view to trialling elements of childminder agencies. These are a mix of organisations, representing businesses (ranging from multi-national nursery chains to individual childminders), academies, maintained schools, national child care organisations, children's centres and local authorities.
	The trials will begin later this summer. I will say more in the coming weeks about the organisations taking part and the shape of the trials.

Child Minding

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 999-1000W, on child minding, how many times the Task and Finish Group has met; and which organisations have attended each such meeting.

Elizabeth Truss: The Task and Finish Group has met four times to date. This involved three full meetings; and one smaller sub-group meeting to discuss safeguarding issues.
	At the meeting of 15 February 2013, those in attendance represented: 4Children; National Day Nurseries Association; Pre-School Learning Alliance; Daycare Trust; Ofsted; Bright Horizons; Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre; Norland Nannies; Independent Childminders Social Enterprise; Kidsunlimited; Association of Nanny Agencies; @Home Childcare; Brookside Community Primary School; Trio Childcare and the Department for Education.
	At the meeting of 27 March 2013, those in attendance represented: Ofsted; National College for School Leadership; Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre; National Children's Bureau; Association of Nanny Agencies; Bright Horizons; @Home Childcare; Northamptonshire Childminding Association; Independent Childminders Social Enterprise; Trio Childcare; National Day Nurseries Association; Kidsunlimited and the Department for Education.
	At the meeting of 1 May 2013, those in attendance represented: 4Children; Kids Unlimited; National Day Nurseries Association; Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre; National Children's Bureau; @Home Childcare; Independent Childminders Social Enterprise; Trio Childcare; Northamptonshire Childminding Association; Pre-School Learning Alliance; Family and Childcare Trust and the Department for Education.
	At the sub-group meeting of 12 June 2013, those in attendance represented: Ofsted, National Children's Bureau, the Independent Childminders Social Enterprise, @Home Childcare and the Department for Education.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 384W, on children: day care, whether Andreas Schleicher or any other representative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has advocated increasing child-to-staff ratios in childcare settings in representations to his Department; and if he will place a copy of any such representation in the Library.

Elizabeth Truss: I have corresponded with Andreas Schleicher, Special Adviser on Education Policy to the Secretary-General of the OECD. He is supportive of improving staff qualifications and says the best education systems prioritise quality of staff over class sizes. He has acknowledged the importance of the proposals in ‘More great childcare’, published by the Government in January 2013, including our intention to bring England more into line with comparable countries.
	I will place a copy of Andreas Schleicher's letter in the Library.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 382W, on children: day care, for what reasons his Department's consultation on childcare qualifications did not also consult on the principle of increasing child-to-staff ratios in childcare settings.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department's publication ‘More great childcare’ set out the Government's proposals on child-to-staff ratios. The consultation which accompanied it invited views on the impact the proposals might have on providers, and on which qualification requirements should form part of any new rules on child-to-staff ratios.

Children: Poverty

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of school children who are living in poverty and who are not receiving free school meals in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in the last three years for which figures are available.

David Laws: This information is not available. The Department has not made an estimate, for the current year or earlier years, of the number of school children living in poverty in England who are not receiving free school meals.

Classroom Assistants

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on teaching assistants.

David Laws: It is for schools, as the employers, to decide the most appropriate staffing structure for their school, including how teaching assistants are employed and deployed within that structure in a way that reflects local priorities and the educational needs of the pupils at the school.

First Aid: Education

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to increase the proportion of children leaving school with training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Elizabeth Truss: Teachers are free to teach emergency life-saving skills—including cardiopulmonary resuscitation —within the wider school curriculum as part of non-statutory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. We believe that schools are best placed to make decisions about whether to offer such training.
	Many organisations with an interest in this area responded to our recent consultation on the national curriculum, which closed on 16 April 2013. We are reviewing the consultation responses, including those concerning emergency life-saving skills, and will publish a final version of the new national curriculum later in the year.

Free School Meals

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that school children who live in poverty receive free school meals.

David Laws: The Government recognises the benefits of healthy school meals and is committed to continuing to provide free school meals to those pupils who need them most. Our priority is to make sure that the most disadvantaged children are able to get a nutritious free school meal. The move to universal credit means that we need to introduce new free school meal entitlement criteria. This will not reduce the number of children eligible for free school meals.
	We encourage all families who meet the criteria to register for free school meals. This will continue to enable disadvantaged children to benefit from a nutritious meal and their schools to receive Pupil Premium funding to help raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.
	Our eligibility checking service, used by most local authorities, has made it much easier and quicker to check anonymously which families are entitled to free school meals. National free school meal take-up increased by 60,000 between 2010 and 2012.

Literacy: Kent

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the literacy level of primary school leavers in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department published data for the last five years for achievements at level 4 or above in English in Medway local authority within table 22 of the ‘National curriculum assessments at key stage 2 in England: academic year 2011 to 2012’ statistical first release, which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
	Table 22 can be found within the ‘Local authority tables: SFR33/2012’ link, with figures for all pupils shown in the right-most column. Different years' data can be selected using the drop down menus, located in the top right of the table.
	The data requested for Gillingham and Rainham parliamentary constituency have been provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Achievements in English at the expected level(1) by pupils at the end of key stage 2 in Gillingham and Rainham parliamentary constituency(2), years: 2008-12(3) 
			  Percentage of KS2 pupils achieving expected level in English 
			 2008 79 
			 2009 77 
			 2010 78 
			 2011 77 
			 2012(4) 80 
			 (1) Includes pupils who achieved level 4 or above. Level 4 is the expected level of achievement for pupils at the end of key stage 2. (2) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (3) Data are final data for all years. (4) In 2012, English was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years. English in 2012 is, therefore, not comparable to previous years. Source: National Pupil Database. Includes state-funded schools including academies. Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas.

Pupils: Attendance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average attendance rate is for schools in (a) Barnsley local education authority area, (b) Barnsley Central constituency, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England.

Elizabeth Truss: Absence rates by type of school for 2011/12 in England, South Yorkshire, Barnsley local authority and Barnsley Central constituency are shown in the table.
	Absence data for 2011/12 is published in the 'Pupil absence in schools in England, including pupil characteristics' Statistical First Release(1).
	(1)Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-including-pupil-characteristics
	
		
			 State-funded primary, secondary and special schools(1,2,3,4): pupil absence by type of school, 2011/12 Barnsley Central constituency, Barnsley local authority, South Yorkshire and England 
			  State-funded primary schools(1,2) State-funded secondary schools(1,3) Special schools(4) Total 
			  Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5) Overall absence rate(6) Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5) Overall absence rate(6) Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5) Overall absence rate(6) Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5,7) Overall absence rate(6) 
			 England(7) 3,453,445 4.4 2,878,120 5.9 79,520 9.6 6,411,085 5.1 
			 South Yorkshire(7,8) 89,525 4.8 73,870 6.4 1,975 9.5 165,375 5.6 
			 Barnsley local authority 15,374 4.8 12,074 7.1 260 8.7 27,710 5.8 
			 Barnsley Central constituency 6,004 4.8 3,557 7.3 260 8.7 9,820 5.8 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies, including free schools. (4) Includes maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools, independent special schools and independent schools approved for SEN pupils. (5) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year until 1 June 2012. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15. Excludes boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (6) The number of sessions missed due to overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (7) National and regional totals and totals across school types have been rounded to the nearest 5. There may be discrepancies between totals and the sum of constituent parts. (8) South Yorkshire consists of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield local authorities. Source: School Census

Pupils: English Language

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for how many pupils in schools in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway English is a second language.

Elizabeth Truss: Information showing the number of pupils by first language for England, Medway local authority and Gillingham and Rainham constituency is shown in the table.
	A first language other than English is recorded where a child was exposed to the language during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in their home or community. If a child was exposed to more than one language (which may include English)
	during early development the language other than English is recorded, irrespective of the child's proficiency in English.
	
		
			 All schools(1): Number and percentage of pupils by first language(2, 3, )England, Medway local authority and Gillingham and Rainham constituency, January 2012 
			  Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English Percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English(4) Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be English Percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be English(4) Unclassified(5) Percentage unclassified(4) Total(3) 
			 England 1,007,095 15.2 5,616,845 84.6 16,235 0.2 6,640,175 
			 Medway local authority 3,273 8.7 33,773 89.6 628 1.7 37,675 
			 Gillingham and Rainham constituency 1,032 7.7 12,371 92.2 10 0.1 13,415 
			 (1) Includes maintained primary schools, primary academies including free schools, maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges, secondary academies including free schools, maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools, special academies and pupil referral units. Excludes general hospital schools. (2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. In pupil referral units, also includes pupils who are registered with other providers and further education colleges. (3) Pupils of compulsory school age and above were classified by first language. (4) The number of pupils by their first language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age and above. (5) Information was not sought or refused, also includes pupils where classification of first language is pending. Note: National numbers and all totals have been rounded to the nearest 5. There may be discrepancies between totals and the sum of constituent parts. Source: School Census.

Schools: Admissions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of school places available at (a) primary and (b) secondary level in (i) England, (ii) the north west and (iii) Cumbria in each of the next 10 years.

David Laws: The Department collects information about the number of school places available each year, but does not hold information or estimates about the number of school places available in each local authority in future years.
	The Department collects local authorities' estimates of future pupil numbers (which indicates the number of places that will be needed). The most recent survey data relates to the position at May 2012 and is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2011-to-2012
	The data show that all local authorities in the north-west, including Cumbria, anticipate an increase in the number of primary pupils in each of the next five years. Cumbria local authority forecasts a decrease in secondary pupil numbers over the next five years. Only a quarter of the local authorities in the north-west are predicting an increase in secondary pupil numbers over the same period.
	Over £5 billion is being provided to local authorities for additional school places in this spending round (2011-12 to 2014/15), compared with £1.9 billion in the previous four year period (2007-8 to 2010-11). Basic need allocations to local authorities in the north-west and Cumbria are detailed as follows (note these do not include any funding via the Targeted Basic Need programme as these data have not yet been published):
	
		
			 Basic need allocations 
			 £ million 
			  2007-08 to 2011-12 2011-12 to 2014-15 
			 Cumbria 6.99 13.74 
			 North West 133.47 362.39 
		
	
	Based on information provided by local authorities, it is estimated that by September this year 190,000 extra places will have been provided.

Special Educational Needs: Sunderland

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children resident in Sunderland Central constituency received special education needs statements in 2012.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the number of children receiving statements of special educational needs (SEN) for each parliamentary constituency.
	The number of children residing in Sunderland local authority who received statements of SEN for the first time in 2011 is 145. Information for 2012 is not currently available. The full statistics on SEN can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2012

Teachers and Classroom Assistants

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his most recent estimate is of the average cost to a (a) school and (b) local authority of employing a (i) teacher and (ii) classroom assistant; and what forecast he has made of the equivalent cost in each year from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

David Laws: The average cost of employing a teacher is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Academic years 
			  2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 
			 Teachers(1)     
			 Employed within a school 45,800 46,300 46,700 47,200 
			 Employed by a local authority 49,200 49,700 50,200 50,700 
			 (1) Teachers' cost in academic year 2012/13 is based on School Workforce Census Statistical First Release, November 2012. Notes: 1. Teachers employed by a local authority are defined as “centrally employed” in the School Workforce Census. 2. Includes qualified teachers only and those earning at least £21,588 (classroom teachers) or £37,461 (leadership group teachers). 3. Includes head teachers, deputy head teachers, assistant head teachers, classroom teachers, advanced skills teachers and excellent teachers. 4. The average cost includes base salary, allowances and on-costs (employer's pension and NI contributions). 5. Teachers' average pay is projected into academic years 2013/14 to 2015/16 by applying 1% pay increase in years 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 based on the Chancellor's announcement and the Budget 2013. 
		
	
	We know that teachers' salaries vary depending on factors such as their experience, grade, phase of school and the geographic area in which they work. The composition of the teaching population employed by local authorities is different from that in schools. This results in differences in the average salaries and subsequently the average costs incurred by the local authorities and schools employing these teachers as shown above.
	From September 2013, schools will be implementing the reforms recommended by the “21st Report of the School Teachers' Review Body” (STRB). The STRB recommended significant additional flexibility for schools to establish pay policies within a broad national framework. The STRB also recommended that all pay progression should be linked to performance.
	Costs for 2016/17 have not been provided as they are subject to future decisions about public sector pay and recommendations from the STRB.
	Estimates of the average cost of employing teaching assistants can be produced only at a disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Qualifications

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of newly-qualified teachers graduated in each degree class in each Government office region in the last year for which figures are available.

David Laws: The following table shows the proportion of newly-qualified teachers gaining qualified teacher status in 2010/11, broken down by the class of first degree they held and the Government office region in which they trained. Data for the academic year 2011/12 will be published this summer.
	
		
			 Performance profiles 2010/11—Proportion of Qualified Teacher Status awards by degree class of postgraduates 
			 Percentage 
			  Qualification on entry 
			  UK degree Non-UK degree Degree equivalent Total 
			  Classification of first degree (UK) 
			 Provider 1st 2:1 2:2 3 Pass Class not known Undefined Total Total Total Total 
			 Eastern 11 53 25 1 3 0 0 93 5 2 100 
			 East Midlands 12 53 28 2 2 1 0 98 2 1 100 
			 London 8 46 28 3 3 0 0 88 10 2 100 
			 North East 10 52 28 3 2 0 0 95 3 2 100 
			 North West 9 51 28 3 1 2 0 94 5 1 100 
			 South East 11 49 25 3 2 1 0 91 7 2 100 
			 South West 11 58 24 2 2 0 0 96 3 1 100 
			 West Midlands 9 51 30 3 2 1 0 97 2 1 100 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 10 49 29 4 1 3 2 97 2 1 100 
			 Non-regional providers 9 40 26 4 15 0 0 94 3 3 100 
			 Sector 10 51 27 3 2 1 0 93 5 1 100 
			 Notes: 1. The percentages included are for those trainees who achieved QTS on completion of a postgraduate initial teacher training course. 2. The government office region relates to the region in which the newly-qualified teacher undertook their initial teacher training. Source: National College for Teaching and Leadership, Initial Teacher Training Performance Profiles

Teachers: Vacancies

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the ratio of applicants to vacancies was for newly-qualified teachers in each Government office region, in the last year for which figures are available.

David Laws: The information requested is not collected centrally.

TREASURY

Civil List: Pensions

John Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total annual cost is of civil list pensions;
	(2)  if he will list all those individuals in receipt of a civil list pension; on what date each such pension was awarded; and what the amount is of each pension.

Sajid Javid: Civil list pensions are personal awards given by Her Majesty the Queen. Under the Data Protection Act the Treasury is not able to disclose details of individuals in receipt of a pension.
	The annual cost of civil list pensions paid to 53 people in 2012-13 was £126,293. The average pension is £2,383.

Gift Aid

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to make it easier for charities to access gift aid from small donations made in the workplace.

Sajid Javid: Gift aid is a generous tax relief and is available on all donations of cash to charity from UK taxpayers. However, the Government has recognised that it is not always practicable for charities to collect gift aid declarations from donors making small, impulsive donations of cash—for example through bucket or church plate collections.
	To address this issue, the Government launched the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme on 6 April 2013. This scheme allows a gift aid-style top-up payment on small cash donations for the first time. We estimate this should be worth around £130 million a year to charities by 2015-16.
	The Government recognises the importance of workplace giving, and encourages it through the Payroll Giving scheme.

Income Tax: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 462W, on income tax: Scotland, if he will place in the Library the agenda and minutes of the last three meetings of the (a) Pensions Technical Group, (b) Charities Technical Group and (c) Income Tax Group.

David Gauke: The three technical groups were set up by HMRC to advise on the practical implications of the implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax. The Charities Technical Group has completed its work, which was reflected in the approach to the treatment of Gift Aid relief described in the technical note published by HMRC in May 2012. One meeting was held. There was no agenda for the meeting. Minutes of the meeting of the group will be placed in the House Library. Issues discussed with the Pensions Technical Group and Income Tax Technical Group are still under consideration, and relevant papers will be made available when this work is completed.

Individual Savings Accounts: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has conducted a distributional analysis of the take-up of junior individual savings accounts.

Sajid Javid: No distributional analysis has been produced at this time.

Individual Savings Accounts: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those eligible for junior individual savings accounts have opened such accounts in each year since their inception.

Sajid Javid: Junior ISA’s have been available since 1 November 2011. Between that date and 5 April 2012, around 71,000 junior ISA accounts were opened and received subscriptions. The total number of children eligible for an account is estimated to be 6 million. Take-up of junior ISA in the first five months of the account is therefore broadly estimated at around 1.2%.

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many projects have received support under the borrowing guarantees scheme since that scheme's inception; and what the value of such projects is.

Danny Alexander: Following the launch of the UK Guarantees scheme one guarantee has been issued to Drax Power to support their £650 million to £700 million partial conversion from a coal-fired power station to biomass.
	Commercial specialists continue to engage with eligible projects and further guarantees are expected to be offered in 2013.

Infrastructure UK

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what projects are currently being managed by Infrastructure UK; and if he will estimate the value of each such project;
	(2)  how many of the projects managed by Infrastructure UK have (a) started and (b) been completed.

Danny Alexander: Infrastructure UK supports the delivery of major infrastructure projects with a focus on the Top 40 priority infrastructure projects and programmes but does not directly manage them. An update on the delivery of the Top 40 was published alongside Budget 2013 and is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infrastructure-delivery-update-march-2013

Loans: Republic of Ireland

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much from the public purse has been loaned or gifted to the Republic of Ireland since the financial crisis in that country.

Greg Clark: In December 2010, the UK signed an agreement for a bilateral loan of £3.2 billion.
	I refer the hon. Member to the Treasury's Statutory Report on the UK's bilateral loan to Ireland, submitted as required by the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, which covers the reporting period to 1 October 2012 to March 2013 and is available online at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bilateral-loan-to-ireland
	The Treasury has since made one further disbursement of the loan, as set out in my statement to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 1WS.

Members: Correspondence

Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Sunderland Central to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury dated 19 April 2013 and 24 May 2013, relating to the Sunderland enquiry offices closure.

David Gauke: The letter was replied to in full on 30 April 2013. A duplicate copy has been sent to the hon. Member on 12 June 2013. The letter of 24 May 2013 was chasing the letter of 19 April.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding in (a) capital DEL (b) resource DEL and (c) financial transfers have been allocated to the Scottish Government in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

Danny Alexander: The data requested are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Capital DEL 2,940 2,632 2,836 
			 Resource DEL 25,900 26,443 26,511 
			 Cash grant to the Scottish Consolidated Fund 27,265 27,888 (1)— 
			 (1) Not yet available

Public Expenditure: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the forthcoming spending review.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide variety of topics. In addition, I chaired a Finance Minister Quadrilateral meeting in Belfast on 10 June to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming spending round.

Revenue and Customs

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1240W, on Revenue and Customs: telephone services, what steps he is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs meets its stated target of answering 80 per cent of calls within five minutes.

David Gauke: To help create a better customer experience in HMRC just under 1,000 additional full-time equivalent staff were deployed to their Contact Centres in 2012-13.
	This additional investment is helping their Contact Centres use resources more flexibly to strike a better balance across its different telephony performance measures; such as customer waiting times as well as the volume of calls answered.
	HMRC intends to publish its performance results covering quarter 1 in August 2013.

Revenue and Customs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations HM Revenue and Customs has received from the Information Commissioner to release the address of each individual named on the Consulting Association database of blacklisted workers.

David Gauke: I can confirm that the Information Commissioner has been in contact with both HMRC and DWP for assistance in tracing individuals on the Consulting Association database. DWP are taking the lead in providing this assistance.

Tax Avoidance: Charities

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on steps to prevent organisations registering as charities with the Charity Commission for tax avoidance purposes;
	(2)  what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to ensure that charities registered with the Charity Commission are not being used as tax avoidance schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is committed to tackling tax avoidance which seeks to abuse charitable tax reliefs, and works closely with the Charity Commission to ensure that charities are compliant with tax law.
	HMRC and the Charity Commission for England and Wales have a close working relationship. HMRC uses a statutory gateway to share intelligence and information with the Charity Commission. The gateway permits HMRC and the Charity Commission to share relevant categories of information, and enables the Departments to act quickly where there is concern. Where there is a mutual interest, HMRC and the Charity Commission investigations staff run joint operations, which have proved to be very effective. Investigative caseworkers from HMRC and the Charity Commission often communicate on a daily basis.

Tax Avoidance: Charities

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many charities registered with the Charity Commission have been identified by HM Revenue and Customs as being used for tax avoidance purposes in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep central records of the charities it has identified as being used for tax avoidance purposes. This is because tax avoidance takes a number of forms and HMRC's compliance work therefore spans across multiple sections of the Department. Further, the use of a charity for tax avoidance purposes does not necessarily indicate that the charity is complicit or even aware of its involvement in tax avoidance.

Taxation: Motor Vehicles

Edward Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what manner funds raised through fuel duty and road tax are apportioned in the budget.

Sajid Javid: The funds that are raised through fuel duty and vehicle excise duty are passed to the Consolidated Fund.

Taxation: Water Companies

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the corporate structure and tax liabilities of water companies operating in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers regularly meet with Ministers in other Departments as part of the policy development process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects the tobacco smuggling strategy of HM Revenue and Customs to meet its target of protecting £1.4 billion in revenue over the current spending review period.

Sajid Javid: There is no overall revenue target specified for the joint HMRC and Border Force “Tackling Tobacco Smuggling” strategy. The objective of the joint strategy is to maintain downward pressure on the illicit tobacco market in the UK.
	Latest HMRC estimates indicate that the UK illicit market share for cigarettes has reduced from 21% to 9% and for hand-rolling tobacco, from 61% to 38% since 2000-01.
	£1.4 billion is the expected revenue benefit from reinvestment funding in activity by HMRC and Border Force to tackle organised crime tobacco fraud under the 2010 spending review. Performance in this area is closely monitored and results will be published in departmental reports.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the tobacco smuggling strategy of HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The key measure of the impact of the joint HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Border Force ‘Tackling Tobacco Smuggling’ strategy is the trend in the relevant tax gap estimates for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
	The most recent estimates of the tobacco tax gaps are published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2012” available on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2012.pdf

UK Membership of EU

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of which policy objectives of his Department are being frustrated or inhibited by reason of the UK's membership of the EU.

Greg Clark: holding answer 11 June 2013
	The Government is committed to membership of a reformed EU. In every negotiation the Government seeks to ensure the UK national interest is protected, and risks to HM Treasury policy interests are minimized. We work actively within the EU to enhance UK growth opportunities and UK competitiveness through strengthening of the Single Market, cutting the cost of EU regulation on business and concluding free trade agreements with our major trading partners around the world.

VAT: Hotels

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider reducing the rate of VAT charged to hotels in the UK for the purposes of enabling them to run their businesses at similar levels of taxation to hotels in other EU countries.

David Gauke: The Government has no plans to introduce a reduced rate for the hotel sector in the UK, but all aspects of the tax system are kept under review.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy Companies Obligation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) monetary value and (b) number of grants awarded to households living in (i) social housing, (ii) private rented housing and (iii) privately owned housing under the energy company obligation scheme.

Gregory Barker: Under the energy company obligation, major energy suppliers provide subsidy to promote the delivery of energy efficiency measures, but it is not a grant scheme. For information, DECC will publish on 27 June, a monthly Official Statistics publication that will cover progress on the energy company obligation.

Energy Companies Obligation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that households living in (a) private rented housing and (b) privately owned housing are able to access the energy company obligation scheme.

Gregory Barker: Owners, landlords and tenants of privately owned and privately rented properties are eligible for all aspects of the energy company obligation (ECO). Ofgem, who administer the scheme, have published their final ECO guidance document and a set of frequently asked questions, which provide clarity on the precise eligibility criteria and arrangements.
	Both DECC and Ofgem have met key representatives in the private rental sector on a number of occasions to discuss in detail, and raise awareness of, how these groups can take advantage of the scheme.

Energy: Business

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1645, on energy bills, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there are hundreds of new small and medium-sized energy efficiency enterprises.

Gregory Barker: The latest Official Statistics show that the Green Deal market is gathering real momentum. By the end of April there were 1,274 Green Deal advisors, 55 Green Deal providers and over 1,000 installers organisations. The next full Green Deal statistical release will be on 27 June.
	Although we do not collect data on the size of organisations within the Green Deal supply chain our continued engagement with participants within the market gives us encouragement that SMEs are playing a full role within the Green Deal.

Energy: Fines

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that penalties imposed by energy regulators are not passed on to consumers.

Gregory Barker: Under existing powers Ofgem can fine energy companies up to 10% of their annual turnover for non-compliance with their obligations but unless Ofgem can agree compensation for consumers with energy companies, such fines are paid into the Consolidated Fund. We are taking powers in the Energy Bill to allow Ofgem to require energy companies to pay redress directly to consumers, where they have suffered loss, damage or inconvenience as a result of a breach of licence condition or other regulatory requirement.
	There are no regulatory means by which Government or Ofgem can prevent the costs of the penalties imposed on energy companies being passed on to consumers. The reforms to the retail market currently being implemented by Ofgem, and backed by powers in the Energy Bill, will deliver a simpler and more transparent market which should deliver the increased competitive pressure needed to keep bills as low as possible.

Green Deal Finance Company

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 28 January 2012, Official Report, column 603W, on the Green Deal Scheme, how much his Department has lent to the Green Deal Finance Company to date.

Gregory Barker: To date, DECC has lent the Green Deal Finance Company £16.6 million out of an initially available commitment of £25 million. This has been lent on the same basis of 15 other public and private companies who have also lent to the Green Deal Finance Company and represents a minority of this funding. The Green Deal Finance Company are anticipated to draw the remaining £8.4 million shortly.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 395W, on the Green Deal Scheme, how many Green Deal apprentices have (a) begun and (b) completed their training.

Gregory Barker: The Department made £3 million available in funding for the training of Green Deal advisers and installers. This was delegated to Asset Skills and Construction Skills respectively to allocate on our behalf. 792 Green Deal advisers have now completed their training with support from DECC funding, and as of April 2013, there were a total of 1,274 Green Deal advisers registered. Funding has been allocated to 751 installer operatives on the DECC funded installer training programme. Of these, 167 installer operatives have completed their vocational qualification to date.

Green Deal Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal applications have been (a) made and (b) successfully completed to date.

Gregory Barker: The Department's next monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, to be published on 27 June, will be an expanded version of previous monthly releases and will include numbers of Green Deal Plans.

Green Deal Scheme: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) Cumbria and (c) North West England have received loans under the Green Deal scheme to date.

Gregory Barker: The Department's next monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, to be published on 27 June, will be an expanded version of previous monthly releases and will include the numbers of Green Deal Plans. Further breakdowns of Green Deal Plans (e.g. by local authority) will be available in future quarterly statistical releases.

Insulation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1654, on energy efficiency, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there are very few cavity walls left to fill.

Gregory Barker: DECC publish regular estimates of home insulation levels in Great Britain. The most recent publication which contained estimates up to beginning of October 2012 estimated that there are around 0.9 million properties with unfilled easy to treat cavities remaining (5% of cavity wall properties) a reduction of 2.4 million since April 2008. This contrasts with over 3 million unfilled hard to treat cavities, and approximately 7.7 million uninsulated solid wall properties (96% of solid wall properties).
	Since then it has also been confirmed by Ofgem that an additional 167,000 cavities were insulated in the final quarter of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).
	An update to these estimates of home insulation levels will be published on. 27 June, this will include estimates for measures delivered up to the beginning of April 2013.

Insulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 824W, on the Green Deal Scheme, what estimate he has made of the number of insulation sector jobs created as a result of the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation to date.

Gregory Barker: The answer provided on 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 824W, relies on statistics provided on the number of insulation measures installed in the domestic sector under the Green Deal and energy company obligation (ECO).
	Statistics available for measures installed since the schemes began will be published on 27 June 2013. Unlike the installation statistics, the number of jobs supported by Green Deal and ECO cannot be measured directly but rely on an estimation methodology and there is too much “noise” to make regular, reliable estimates.
	Updated figures for the number of jobs estimated to be supported by the Green Deal and ECO will be made available in the Department's consultation impact assessment for the successor to the current ECO scheme, which ends in March 2015.

Renewable Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1648, on decarbonisation, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there has been a big increase in investment in renewables since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: There has been a big increase in investment in renewables in the UK since May 2010 as demonstrated by a significant increase in renewable electricity installed capacity. By the end of March 2010 there was 8.6GW of renewables installed electricity capacity in the UK. By the end of 2012 this had risen to 15.5GW.

Renewable Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1649, on green investment, what the evidential basis is for the statement that £29 billion of new investment has been announced in renewable energy since 2010.

Gregory Barker: The evidential basis for this statement are planned and approved projects recorded on the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). We considered projects recorded on the REPD since 1 January 2010 with the potential to generate 20MW or more and cross-referenced them with information provided by the developers. Total investments announced regarding these planned and approved projects above 20 MW amount to £29 billion of new investment since 2010.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review sentencing for those convicted of animal abuse; and whether he plans to increase punishments for those convicted of offences connected with animal fighting.

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to increase maximum sentences for cases of animal fighting; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to review sentences available for cases of animal abuse; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The maximum penalty for those convicted of offences connected with animal fighting is six months imprisonment, or a fine of £20,000, or both. This maximum monetary cap for offences of this level will be lifted when section 85 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is implemented, which will allow magistrates the discretion to impose any fine they see fit, taking account of the individual circumstances of the case.
	The Government is currently taking steps to implement that provision.

Bees: Pesticides

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many representations he has received from the chemicals industry on the UK's opposition to an EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides;
	(2)  how many representations he has received from the bee and honey industry on the UK's opposition to an EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides.

David Heath: The Secretary of State has received a large number of representations, including some public petitions, in connection with the UK's position on EU restrictions on neonicotinoid insecticides from a wide range of stakeholders. These include the beekeepers, non-governmental organisations, chemical industry and others.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 786W, on bovine tuberculosis, what the next steps to be taken are; and how the effectiveness and intake of such steps will be monitored.

David Heath: A Project Board, comprising Government and industry representatives has been set up to take forward the recommendations in the risk-based trading group’s report. The report recommended that a short research project be commissioned after an introductory period (a year) to investigate whether farmers had engaged with the scheme and changed their trading behaviour accordingly.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for offences under the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2007 since implementation of that order.

David Heath: From 2007 to 12 June 2013, 15 Home Office cautions were issued for TB-related offences. A total of 24 prosecutions were initiated, resulting in 11 convictions.
	Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2007, as amended. The information provided is based on data from the animal movement enforcement system (AMES) database, which is populated by local authorities. These data are not separately verified by central Government.
	Enforcement activity takes a number of forms, from verifying compliance with pre-movement testing requirements, which can result in oral and written advice or warnings short of a formal investigation, to prosecution.
	Investigations into TB-related fraudulent activity are sometimes taken under other legislation.

CJD: Sheep

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in the UK sheep flock has been in each of the last 10 years for which data is available.

David Heath: holding answer 12 June 2013
	All cases of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) confirmed in the UK sheep flock between 2003 and 2012 have been either classical or atypical scrapie. Cases by year are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Classical scrapie Atypical scrapie Total 
			 2003 444 52 496 
			 2004 337 16 353 
			 2005 229 25 254 
			 2006 157 49 206 
			 2007 37 36 73 
			 2008 9 12 21 
			 2009 9 25 34 
			 2010 1 19 20 
			 2011 49(1) 23 72 
			 2012 2 29 31 
			 (1) 44 classical scrapie cases in 2011 came from a single flock.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has had discussions with his ministerial colleagues on possible proposals to amend the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on amending the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Richard Benyon: The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 covers a broad range of policy areas, which are often the subject of representations. I have a wide range of discussions on policy in my portfolio with my ministerial colleagues.

Floods: Insurance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress he has made on replacing the Statement of Principles governing flood insurance.

Richard Benyon: We have made significant progress in discussions with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) regarding the future of flood insurance beyond the end of the current Statement of Principles. The negotiations are currently at an advanced stage and we will announce future measures as soon as possible. Members of the ABI have voluntarily agreed to continue to abide by the current Statement of Principles for a further month to July 31, thereby allowing further time for us and the ABI to resolve the outstanding issues.
	Please be assured we are working hard with the insurance industry to reach an agreement which ensures the availability and affordability of flood insurance for those at flood risk, but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders and the taxpayer.
	I appreciate the hon. Member’s concern and I will endeavour to provide a further update as soon as possible.

Floods: Insurance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the extension for the statement of principle for flood insurance covers both residential and business premises.

Richard Benyon: The Statement of Principles between the Government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) relates to flood insurance for both households and small businesses. Members of the ABI will continue to abide by the Statement of Principles for a further month until 31 July 2013, to allow more time to reach agreement.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Wheat

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the scientific objectives are of the release of GM wheat by Rothamsted Research following the application for release in autumn 2013, reference 11/R8/01.

David Heath: The purpose of the research trial is to assess any change in the behaviour of aphids, their parasitoids or predators that result from the aphid-repellent trait of the GM plants.

Poultry: Tumours

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence of (a) malignant oviduct magnum tumours and (b) non-malignant tumours in spent laying hens was in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

David Heath: DEFRA does not hold statistical information describing the incidence of tumours of the reproductive tract, or any other body system, in spent laying hens in Great Britain.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not have any freehold properties in Scotland.

Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such consultation;
	(2)  how many officials in his Department have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings he and officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such meetings;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants on the Scotland Analysis Programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Richard Benyon: No officials in core DEFRA have been specifically allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme, though a number have contributed to this work as part of their normal duties, at no additional cost to the public purse. There has been no use of external consultants in this work to date.
	To date, this work has involved no specific engagement with external organisations, individuals or work by external consultants.
	The DEFRA ministerial team and officials have not held any meetings with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling) to discuss the Scotland Analysis Programme.

Turtles: Cayman Islands

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department ensured compliance with CITES regulations, especially Article III, during the trade of 20 Chelonioidea sea turtles from the Cayman Turtle Farm to Merlin Entertainments Group.

Richard Benyon: Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the relevant rules that implement the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) lies with the UK CITES Management Authority, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency. This involves following a set of procedures laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006.
	The provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 prevent the disclosure of information in relation to specific import applications.

Turtles: Cayman Islands

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what veterinary or other assessment was made by officials in his Department during the trade of 20 Chelonioidea sea turtles from the Cayman Turtle Farm to Merlin Entertainments Group in 2006.

Richard Benyon: A veterinary risk assessment is not required to facilitate the importation of sea turtles. All consignments of live animals, including these turtles, imported into the UK from third countries must enter via a specifically approved border inspection post (BIP). The importer must give 24 hours notice to the BIP of the arrival of the animals. At the BIP the consignment will be subject to a documentary, identity and physical check to ensure that the animals meet animal health requirements; have been transported in suitable conditions; and that they are healthy and fit for their onward journey.

WALES

Legal Aid Scheme

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the effects of the planned reform of criminal legal aid in Wales;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the effects of the planned reform of criminal legal aid in Wales.

David Jones: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice about a wide range of topics that affect Wales, including the proposals for changes to criminal legal aid in England and Wales. I have also recently met Welsh representatives of the Queen's legal profession to hear their views on the proposed changes to criminal legal aid in Wales.
	The Government is committed to making the criminal legal aid system operate more efficiently while improving confidence in the system and continuing to provide access to legal aid for those who need it. We are currently considering the responses to our consultation and plan to issue a response in the autumn.

Public Expenditure

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the forthcoming spending review.

David Jones: None.

Work Programme

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what visits he has made to Work programme providers in Wales since the Work programme commenced.

Stephen Crabb: I visited Work programme providers in South Wales on 13 June.
	The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd West (Mr Jones), is regularly briefed on the progress of the work programme in Wales and has visited providers in Pontypridd and Cardiff as well as meeting people on the work programme at Shotton Job Centre.
	In February, the Wales Office hosted a job summit in South Wales and another is planned for next month in North Wales.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in her Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Michael Penning: No officials in my Department are on secondment to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Fuels: Smuggling

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Serious Organised Crime Agency on fuel smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Michael Penning: I have raised this matter with the Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland and I shall be speaking again with ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury about it later this week.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with HM Revenue and Customs on identifying a marker for laundered fuel;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the time taken in conducting the Invitation to Make Submissions process on the development of a new fuel marker.

Michael Penning: There has been no requirement for me or the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), to become involved in the technical discussions that have taken place between HM Revenue and Customs and the Revenue Commissioners of Ireland who are jointly seeking to implement improved standards in the marking of rebated oil in the UK and Ireland.
	Paragraph 3.2 of the Invitation to Make Submissions document states:
	“This is an ‘indicative’ timetable only and Applicants should note that these dates are subject to change at the discretion of the Revenue Authorities and further that the Revenue Authorities reserve the right to amend them from time to time as they see fit in relation to any aspect of the competition.”

Historical Enquiries Team

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff have been recruited to work for or with the Historical Enquiries Team in the last 12 months; and what the community background is of those who (a) applied for such positions and (b) were recruited in that period.

Theresa Villiers: Responsibility for operational and staffing matters relating to the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) rests with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), with the support of the Department of Justice under the devolved Administration in Northern Ireland.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions she has met the Chief Constable of the Police Service for Northern Ireland in the last year; and who initiated each such meeting.

Theresa Villiers: I hold regular meetings with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. These occur in a variety of formats such as arranged meetings, at events, functions or visits. In addition, we speak frequently by telephone. We discuss a range of subjects including security matters.

Recruitment

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were recruited by her Department in 2011-12.

Theresa Villiers: My Department did not recruit any external staff in 2011-12. Any vacancies were filled by loans from other Government Departments or by secondments from the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

SCOTLAND

Income Tax

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues about the implementation costs of the Scottish rate of income tax.

Michael Moore: During the development and implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, Scotland Office Ministers and Treasury Ministers have met regularly to discuss a wide range of matters relating to the new Scottish rate of income tax, including the costs of implementation. Scotland Office officials are represented on HMRC's implementation project and programme boards.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not own any property. The Office's accommodation in Melville Crescent is leasehold property.

Unemployment

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the total loss to the Scottish economy as a result of underemployment.

Michael Moore: The latest official labour market statistics show that overall Scottish labour market conditions improved over the three months from February to April 2013, including an increase in employment of 47,000. The Government remains focused on strengthening the economy and the employment opportunities that flow from that. As part of the Scottish Employability Forum work, Scotland's two Governments, alongside COSLA, employers and other delivery partners, are working to strengthen the link between economic development and employability levels.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Leader of the House how many staff were suspended from his Office on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

Andrew Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Our answer will be included in the response by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, shortly.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Gender Champion for asylum seekers.

Mark Harper: Within the current Home Office structure there is no specific role of Gender Champion for asylum seekers. However, there was a network of Diversity Champions within the former UK Border Agency that included a Gender Champion.
	This role is currently being considered in light of the recent structural changes in the Home Office. No formal assessment of the effectiveness of these champion roles has been undertaken. However, the Home Office remains committed to improving gender sensitivity across all its strands of work.
	Within the immigration system, we continue to ensure that appropriate guidance is followed by caseworkers, including in asylum. Certain actions were highlighted in the recent Government action plan “The Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls—the next chapter” and these have also been incorporated into the Home Office “Women’s Issues in the Asylum Claim” action plan.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from the UN on levels of proof used by the Government to ascertain torture when dealing with asylum seekers; and what steps she has taken in this area.

Mark Harper: In its publication, “Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of the United Kingdom, adopted by the Committee at its fiftieth session (6-31 May 2013)”, the United Nations Committee Against Torture recommended that the UK should
	“Take necessary measures to ensure that vulnerable people and torture survivors are not routed into the Detained Fast Track System, including by... lowering the evidential threshold for torture survivors.”
	The Home Office is committed to the fair and effective operation of the Detained Fast Track, and the procedures and policies underpinning it are under constant review. The UN recommendations will be considered in this context.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received from non-governmental organisations representing asylum seekers on the issue of asylum in the UK.

Mark Harper: A wide variety of representations are regularly received about asylum matters from non-government organisations. Some of the most recent include a report about the quality of decision making by Amnesty International and a report published by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council about procedures for accommodating destitute asylum seekers who are pregnant.
	The main means through which representations are received and discussed is the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum, which includes a wide range of organisations with an interest in asylum matters and meets regularly. There are also Strategic Migration Partnerships which cover particular regions of the United Kingdom and focus on issues in their area.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum seekers receive legal advice.

Mark Harper: There are no data available on the overall proportions of asylum seekers receiving legal advice. As a result it is not possible to provide definitive figures on applicants who have received, or are receiving, legal advice. It is considered that the costs that would be incurred to collect such data would be disproportionate.
	All asylum seekers can seek legal advice and the Home Office provides information to assist applicants in finding such advice, but does not provide legal advice directly. For instance, at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/helpandadvice/legaladvice/

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum interviews are (a) audio taped and (b) video taped.

Mark Harper: All asylum interviews are recorded verbatim by the interviewer and every applicant receives a copy of the interview record. In addition, applicants without legal representation or whose legal representatives are not publicly-funded to attend the interview are allowed, on request, to have their asylum interviews electronically (audio) recorded, to ensure that they are not disadvantaged by the absence of a legal representative. Applicants and their representatives are not permitted to use their own recording equipment during an asylum interview.
	No interviews are video recorded.
	We are unable to provide data on the proportion of interviews that are audio recorded as the information is not held in a recordable format.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men won their asylum appeal in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Harper: The tables show the total number of main applicants with an asylum appeal determined, for years which information is available, and what proportion of appeals were allowed for (a) women and (b) men.
	The data presented above, are published in table as—14 (Asylum data tables Volume 2) of Immigration Statistics: January to March 2013, available from the Library of the House and as follows:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
	
		
			 Table: Asylum appeal determined and allowed, by gender 
			 Year of application Total appeals determined Total appeals allowed Appeals allowed as a % of appeals determined: total Appeals determined: males Appeals allowed: males Appeals allowed as a % of total appeals determined: males 
			 2007 12,395 2,784 22 8,282 1,677 20 
			 2008 9,209 2,124 23 5,805 1,196 21 
			 2009 12,813 3,712 29 8,159 1,997 24 
			 2010 14,723 4,029 27 9,668 2,397 25 
			 2011(1) 10,597 2,779 26 7,487 1,860 25 
			 2012(1) 8,229 2,192 27 5,808 1,465 25 
		
	
	
		
			 Year of application Appeals determined: females Appeals allowed: females Appeals allowed as a % of total appeals determined: females Appeals determined: sex unknown Appeals allowed: sex unknown Appeals allowed as a % of total appeals determined: unknown 
			 2007 4,111 1,106 27 2 1 50 
			 2008 3,403 928 27 1 0 0 
			 2009 4,650 1,715 37 4 0 0 
			 2010 5,045 1,631 32 10 1 10 
			 2011(1) 3,104 919 30 6 0 0 
			 2012(1) 2,419 726 30 2 1 50 
			 (1) Provisional data. Notes: 1. HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) (formerly the Tribunals Service Immigration and Asylum (TSIA)), consists of the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTTIAC and UTIAC). This replaced the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) on 15 February 2010. 2. Appeals determined includes appeals allowed, appeals dismissed and appeals withdrawn (by the Home Office or by the appellant).

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints she has received about (a) country of origin reports, (b) operational guidance notes and (c) country policy bulletins in dealing with asylum seekers in the last six months.

Mark Harper: In the last six months no complaints have been received about country of origin reports, operational guidance notes and country policy bulletins.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where the asylum screening centres serving (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland are based.

Mark Harper: The Home Office considers that anyone who intends to claim asylum should do so at the first available opportunity—this usually means on arrival, at a port of entry.
	Those who have failed to claim asylum at a port, who believe that they have become refugee sur place (in other words, that they may qualify for refugee status because of a change of situation in their country of origin), or who have otherwise entered the country illegally, are required to register their application in person at the Asylum Screening Unit (ASU) in Croydon, either on a walk-in basis or by appointment. If someone wishes to claim asylum in Northern Ireland, they can make an appointment to attend the Belfast Public Enquiry Office to register.
	In exceptional circumstances, for instance in the case of unaccompanied asylum seeking children or those who are unfit to travel, individuals may approach a regional immigration office to make their application.
	Those who claim asylum only after being encountered through enforcement activity or police call-outs will usually be screened locally at the time of that encounter, or shortly afterwards if detained.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether persecution because of gender is grounds for claiming asylum in the UK.

Mark Harper: Persecution because of gender can amount to grounds for being granted asylum in the UK. The gender of an applicant may inform an assessment of whether one or more of the five UN refugee convention grounds is applicable. Gender cases often fall under the convention ground of ‘Particular Social Group’.
	The assessment of an asylum claim should be carried out on an individual, objective and impartial basis in order to assess whether the acts to which the person has been or could be exposed would amount to persecution or serious harm.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialist training her Department gives to doctors to assist in identifying asylum cases involving torture.

Mark Harper: The Home Office does not provide specialist training to doctors to assist in identifying asylum cases involving torture.
	Rule 35(3) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001, however, requires doctors working in immigration removal centres to submit a report on any detainee whom they are concerned may have been a victim of torture in order that the appropriateness of continued detention may be reviewed. Doctors working in this capacity are expected to make such reports in light of their professional knowledge and training.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refugees under the age of 18 have arrived in Britain from Afghanistan in the last 10 years; and how many such refugees were returned to Afghanistan.

Mark Harper: The Government has a policy of not removing unaccompanied children to Afghanistan.
	The following table shows the number of main applicant and dependants who are nationals of Afghanistan who have claimed asylum aged under 18, and the number of asylum applicants who have been subject to an enforced removal or who have departed voluntarily aged under 18 within the years available:
	
		
			 Nationals of Afghanistan, under 18 
			  Asylum applicants Asylum applicants, enforced removal to Afghanistan Asylum applicants, voluntary departure to Afghanistan 
			 2003 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2004 n/a 3 16 
			 2005 n/a 4 5 
			 2006 n/a 7 6 
			 2007 n/a 0 8 
			 2008 1,699 1 11 
			 2009 1,530 1 5 
			 2010 638 0 13 
			 2011 587 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 387 0 2 
			 n/a = Not available Notes: 1. Data from 2011 onwards are provisional figures. 2. Enforced removals/voluntary departures do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period. 3. Asylum applicants, Enforced removals and Asylum applicants, voluntary departures are those recorded who have claimed asylum at some point. 4. Age for asylum applicants is age at date of application (excluding those with unknown gender); age for enforced removal / voluntary departure is age at date of departure. 
		
	
	In 2011 one child was removed in error. They were subsequently brought back to the UK. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on asylum applications and removals and voluntary departures in Immigration Statistics.
	Data on asylum applications by age and nationality are published on an annual basis in Table as_04 in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: January-March 2013, available from the Library of the House and:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Asylum: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues on the handling of children seeking asylum in the UK whose age is disputed.

Mark Harper: Guidance to Home Office staff is provided in the “Assessing Age” Asylum Instruction which is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/specialcases/guidance/assessing-age?view=Binary
	In brief, the policy states that, in circumstances in which an asylum applicant claims to be a child but in which the Home Office has doubts about this, the Home Office will refer the individual to social services for a formal age assessment. While the outcome of the assessment is awaited, the individual is given the benefit of the doubt and treated as a child.
	The position of the Home Office is that it is committed to safeguarding the welfare of unaccompanied children and must reach a careful decision on an applicant’s age to protect those who are genuine children and prevent abuse of the asylum system and social services system by those who are not.

Asylum: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received about the Azure card.

Mark Harper: The Azure card is regularly discussed at meetings between Home Office officials and various organisations that have an interest in how failed asylum seekers who are temporarily unable to leave the United Kingdom are supported. The card has also been mentioned in the “Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People” published in January 2013 and in another report published at the same time by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council called “When Maternity doesn't matter: Dispersing pregnant women seeking asylum”.

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex of 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 210W, on inflation, what level of inflation index was used when determining the level of asylum support rates announced by her Department on 6 June 2013.

Mark Harper: The consumer prices index (CPI) was one of a range of comparators and objective data used to establish whether the rates of asylum support payments were sufficient.
	Other evidence considered included: data from the Office for National Statistics on family expenditure and its composition; payments made by the Department for Work and Pensions; existing case-law on the destitution of asylum seekers, and the meaning of essential living needs; and asylum support arrangements in other EU member states.

Asylum: Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum seekers are currently homeless.

Mark Harper: The information requested is not known. However, any homeless asylum seeker can obtain support from the Home Office under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 during the consideration of their claim. The support is provided in the form of accommodation and a weekly allowance to meet essential living needs.

Bicycles: Theft

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many thefts of pedal cycles were recorded in Barrow and Furness constituency in the last three years.

Jeremy Browne: Statistics are not available for the constituency of Barrow and Furness. The available information relates to offences recorded in the combined Community Safety Partnership areas of Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland and is given in the table.
	
		
			 Offences of theft of a pedal cycle recorded in the combined Community Safety Partnership areas of Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland 
			  Number of offences 
			 2010 190 
			 2011 193 
			 2012 220

Bilderberg Group

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of supplying policing for the meeting of the Bilderberg Group in Watford in June 2013; and whether the Cabinet Ministers who attended did so in their official capacity or as private citizens.

Damian Green: Hertfordshire Constabulary estimate that the costs of policing this event are in the region of £1.3 million. Against this cost, an offer of £0.5 million funding was received from the event's sponsors. The Home Office is unable to comment on individual Ministers who attended and their role in the conference.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will commission an evaluation of the effectiveness of the DASH risk assessment tool;
	(2)  how many police services in England and Wales use the DASH risk assessment tool in cases of domestic violence;
	(3)  if she will evaluate the effects of the reducing bureaucracy pilot on assessments of risk in cases of domestic violence in Hampshire;
	(4)  whether she plans to roll-out the reducing bureaucracy pilot from Hampshire to other police forces in England and Wales.

Jeremy Browne: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Council accredited the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) Risk Identification, Assessment and Management Model to be implemented across all police forces in the UK from March 2009. The majority of forces currently use DASH, although it is for individual forces to decide which risk assessment models to use and the training their officers and staff receive.
	The College of Policing has been commissioned to evaluate the impact of pilot projects on the frontline officer response to domestic abuse. The evaluation will focus specifically on the effectiveness of training to improve the quality of officer decision-making in relation to risk identification.

Europol

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government (a) has made and (b) is planning to make representations to the European Commission on the funding of the Europol cybercrime centre.

James Brokenshire: In the Explanatory Memorandum of 23 April 2012 relating to the proposals for a Europol European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), the Government broadly supported the proposals. We set out a number of concerns relating to the detail of the centre and succeeded in addressing these in our negotiations with the Commission. Since then we have been working to ensure that the Commission and the Cybercrime Centre Project Board respect these conclusions as they develop the implementation plans for the centre. In terms of funding, the Government believes that the European Cybercrime Centre should be funded within the existing Europol budget and has made representations in this regard.

Homicide

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of investigating a domestic violence-related homicide in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Browne: The cost of police activity resulting from a homicide is estimated to be £17,799 in 2010 prices. There is no specific estimate of the cost of police activity that results from a domestic violence-related homicide.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) children, (b) adult males and (c) adult females identified as having undergone human trafficking have been subsequently re-trafficked in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) does not specifically record whether an individual may have been a victim of re-trafficking.
	As of 23 May 2013, less than five individuals have been referred into the NRM, with the same name and date of birth, who received a positive reasonable grounds decision in a first case and a positive reasonable grounds decision in a second case. This may indicate re-trafficking.
	In order to maintain the anonymity of those individuals, the precise figure is not given in this response.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 904W, on human trafficking, what measures are in place to check the (a) identity and (b) status of passengers leaving the UK on outbound flights.

Mark Harper: Persons leaving the United Kingdom are not required routinely to pass through an immigration control on embarkation. Since March 1998, controls have been conducted on a targeted, intelligence-led basis.
	Our programme for government sets out our support for e-Borders and our intention to reintroduce exit checks and we are committed to do this by 2015.
	e-Borders supports our ability to undertake effective exit checks as passengers leave the UK and we are committed to further enhancing its capabilities.

Human Trafficking Ministerial Group

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which meetings of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking have taken place in the last two years; who was eligible to attend; and who attended each such meeting.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 14 March 2013, Official Report, columns 300-03W.

Human Trafficking: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the extent of human trafficking in Northern Ireland; and what recent steps she has taken to tackle this issue.

Mark Harper: Data on the number of victims of human trafficking in the UK, including Northern Ireland, are published on the Serious Organised Crime Agency website at:
	http://www.soca.gov.uk/about-soca/about-the-ukhtc/national-referral-mechanism/statistics
	Human trafficking issues relating to Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, Mr David Ford MLA. Mr Ford is a member of the UK Government's Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking. The group co-ordinates and influences anti-trafficking activities across the UK.

Police

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the average cost to a police authority of employing a (a) police officer and (b) police community support officer; and what forecast she has made of the equivalent costs in each year from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

Damian Green: The cost of employing police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) will vary depending on a number of factors including seniority, hours worked, and various regional allowances. While overall officer and PCSO numbers are recorded at force level and published by the Home Office, and projections are made by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), these do not take into account these variables.
	However, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Police Objective Analysis (POA) 2012-13, available via HMIC's website, calculates that the overall cost of the total salary and overtime of the 131,837 officers in England and Wales is £7,326,520,500. This equates to an average cost per officer of £55,573 per year.
	The CIPFA POA 2012-13, calculates that there are 14,411 PCSOs in England and Wales, with an overall cost of £494,534,000. This equates to an average cost of £34,316 per annum per PCSO in England and Wales.
	Data to determine equivalent FTE costs in future years is not currently available.

Police Custody: Deaths

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct in relation to a death in police custody since 2008;
	(2)  how many police officers have been dismissed following a finding of gross misconduct in relation to a death in police custody since 2008;
	(3)  how many police officers who have retired since 2008 had an allegation of gross misconduct made against them in relation to a death in police custody.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch) on 13 November 2012, Official Report, columns 130-32W.
	The Home Office collects data on the number of police officers who have been dismissed, by police force area. The data cannot, however, be broken down to identify the number of police officers dismissed for gross misconduct or how many of these dismissals relate to deaths in custody.
	The Home Office does not collect data on the number of police officers who have been found guilty of gross misconduct or who have had an allegation of gross misconduct made against them.

Police: Mental Patients

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review the use of police officers to physically restrain mental health patients; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 3 June 2013
	Police officers need to be able to use physical restraint from time to time in order to carry out their duties All police officers are trained to ensure that they do this within the framework of their powers, as set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the Mental Health Act 1983 and other statutory and common law powers. Such powers should be used in a way that best protects the safety of the person being restrained, the officer and members of the public.
	Training and guidance on the use of restraint is an operational matter for the College of Policing. Guidance issued in 2010 requires that officers using restraint must reasonably believe that it is necessary to prevent harm to the person who lacks capacity, and that they ensure that the degree, type and period of restraint is proportionate to the likelihood and seriousness of harm. The Department of Health has funded pilot schemes that will see mental health nursing staff accompanying officers to incidents likely to lead to detention under section 136 of the Mental Health Act, with the aim of delivering better outcomes for vulnerable people in such circumstances and a reduction in the use of the section 136 detention power.

UK Border Agency

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Warley will receive a reply to her letter to the UK Border Agency of 15 March 2013 regarding the case of Nurul Islam.

Mark Harper: The Home Office wrote to the right hon. Member on 12 June 2013.

UK Border Agency

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were misplaced by the UK Border Agency in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Mark Harper: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

UK Membership of EU

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential consequences of withdrawing from the EU on (a) EU economic migrants residing in the UK and (b) the future of UK citizens working in other EU countries.

Mark Harper: The Government is considering the effects of the free movement of EU citizens as part of the Balance of Competences review:
	https://www.gov.uk/review-of-the-balance-of-competences

JUSTICE

Legal Aid Scheme

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the potential cost savings to the Government on legal services of placing a ceiling on the amount the Government spends on legal services for itself, so that it does not pay fees above legal aid rates to a Government-instructed lawyer or expert and does not pay for more hours of legal services than would be allowed in a court's detailed assessment of costs for legal aid clients; and if he will estimate the potential cost savings of prohibiting the pursuing of litigation which does not have a reasonable prospect of success.

Dominic Grieve: I have been asked to reply.
	All Governments rely on a wide range of legal services, whether those services are provided for litigation or advice; whether provided in house or through the use of solicitors and barristers in private practice. It would not be possible to carry out the suggested estimation without an examination of the cost of each provision of a legal service. Nor is it the case that the litigation and advice for which legal aid is made available is analogous to the work of Government, which is vastly more varied and complex than that for individuals and corporates. No realistic comparison can be made. Much of the legal advice which Government obtains in the course of its business is given in order to ensure that Government is acting lawfully and within its powers.
	The costs of Government litigation and advice are carefully controlled. The use of counsel is restricted to those appointed to the Attorney-General's Panel of Counsel unless I agree that off panel counsel may be used. The hourly rates paid to panel counsel are fixed and have not been raised for over 10 years. Hours claimed are also carefully monitored. Queen's counsel may not be used without my approval, nor can any hourly rate outside a fixed range be agreed without my approval. I am satisfied that the current process balances the need for Governments' to have access to the best quality legal support at a cost that provides real value for money.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether new applicants for work as prison officers are disqualified as a result of previous convictions.

Jeremy Wright: Under current NOMS policy previous criminal convictions, including those leading to a prison sentence or formal caution, are not an automatic disbar to employment. Each case is considered on its own merits. In order to ensure informed decisions are made in relation to criminal convictions, the following factors are considered:
	the nature and seriousness of the offence;
	the length of time since the offence was committed;
	whether a series of offences might indicate habitual criminal tendencies or significant behavioural vulnerabilities;
	the relevance of the conviction, for example, the possibility of impetuosity of youth or immaturity and consideration that the individual's circumstances or character may have altered since to the extent that the conviction will not now be significant; and
	the nature of the work and its location.
	All prison staff are expected to meet high standards of professional and personal conduct. Criminal convictions, receipt of a police caution, reprimands and fixed penalties must always be reported with each case judged on its own merits. This is in line with the filtering of criminal record checks under the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates: Relevant Matters (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013 and the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013 together with both internal conduct and discipline and security vetting policies.

Reoffenders

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders released from prison in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date reoffended within (i) one year and (ii) two years of release.

Jeremy Wright: One-year proven reoffending rates for adult offenders in England and Wales released from prison in 2010 are published in Table 18a of the Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, January to December 2010, which is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-reoffending-earlier-editions
	One-year proven reoffending rates for 2011 to 2013 are not yet available. This is because we allow a one-year follow-up period for reoffending to occur, and a further six-month waiting period for offences to be processed by the courts. One-year proven reoffending rates for 2011 will be published in the Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin on 31 October 2013.
	Similarly, sufficient time has not yet elapsed for two-year proven reoffending rates to be available for 2010 to 2013.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials of her Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Alan Duncan: DFID currently have no officials seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Overseas Aid

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's expenditure was spent on (a) aid and (b) trade development in developing countries in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: In financial year 2011-12, 96% of total departmental expenditure limit (DEL) was spent on official development assistance (ODA).
	In financial year 2010-11, expenditure on Aid for Trade and Trade Facilitation as a proportion of DEL out-turn for 2010-11 was 17%. This includes bilateral expenditure and an imputed share of multilateral expenditure on these sectors.
	Imputed multilateral expenditure for 2011-12 is not yet available. Bilateral expenditure on Aid for Trade and Trade Facilitation represents 5% of DEL out-turn for 2011-12.
	Further information on the Department's aid spending can be found in the Statistics in Development publication:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property her Department owns in Scotland.

Alan Duncan: DFID owns one building in Scotland, namely our joint headquarters office at Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow, G75 8EA. The most recent valuation was carried out in March 2011, when the market value was assessed as £6,200,000.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to the Government of St Helena to ensure that the development of a commercial fishery on the island is done in a sustainable manner.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID officials are in regular contact with St Helena Government counterparts about the development of sustainable commercial fisheries in St Helena waters. DFID has funded the appointment of a commercial fisheries development manager to lead on ensuring sustainability is built into all aspects of developing this important economic activity. DFID is also funding an international fisheries observer to oversee an exploratory offshore fishing trial.
	Sustainable fisheries development is an area of focus for Enterprise St Helena (ESH), the organisation which is steering St Helena's economic development. DFID provides funding for ESH through St Helena's annual budget aid and is considering additional project funding.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the potential long-term effect of chronic water shortages on the sustainable development of St Helena.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government's assessment is that St Helena has adequate water resources to meet its sustainable development needs including future demand from an increased population. Distribution of water, however, is a greater problem than shortage of water. The mountainous terrain means that there are 11 disparate water systems making it difficult to pump water from one system, and from one area of the island to another. The current localised drought, where the northwest reservoirs are seriously affected while the rest of the island has enough water, underscores difficulties in distribution.
	All St Helena Government's Directorates incorporate anticipated demand from sustainable development and the advent of air access into their planning. This includes work in the water sector to upgrade and improve the water distribution system so it can better cope with an increased population.

Syria

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the distribution of humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas of Syria; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: UK aid inside Syria is reaching people in all 14 governorates, including contested areas. Access is severely restricted due to high insecurity and bureaucratic hurdles put in place by the Syrian authorities. The UK is calling on all parties to the conflict to allow safe access for humanitarian workers to provide aid for all those in need, including those in contested and opposition held areas.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much official development assistance her Department has paid to Tanzania in each of the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: Official development assistance made to Tanzania through the DFID Tanzania country programme over the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  ODA (£) 
			 2010-11 149,800,000 
			 2011-12 140,500,000 
			 2012-13 150,000,000 
		
	
	Figures for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are actual outturn; 2012-13 are provisional outturn. This does not include support provided via multilateral organisations or through regional programmes.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she has received representations from UK investors in Tanzania regarding (a) the maintenance of law and order at mining properties in the country, (b) safety from violence of personnel working in overseas-owned companies in the country, (c) corruption in government bodies responsible for that country's mining industry, (d) respect for the property rights of foreign-owned companies and (e) the stability of the legal framework affecting foreign-owned investments in that country.

Lynne Featherstone: The Secretary of State for International Development has received no representations from UK investors in Tanzania regarding problems relating to the mining industry. One representation has been received concerning property rights and the effectiveness of the legal framework with regard to foreign investors.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has made to the Government of Tanzania regarding (a) the nationalisation of foreign shareholdings in mining companies in Tanzania, (b) the enforcement of law and order on mining properties and (c) corruption in that country affecting the mining industry.

Lynne Featherstone: My Department has not made any representations to the Government of Tanzania on these specific issues.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assurances she has sought from the Government of Tanzania, as part of negotiations over international aid regarding (a) the tackling of corruption in that country, (b) the safety from violence of people working in that country for foreign-owned companies, (c) respect for the rights of overseas investors in that country and (d) ensuring a stable legal framework for foreign-owned companies operating in that country.

Lynne Featherstone: As part of the regular discussions with Government on the provision of aid, the UK and other partners assess governance and the rule of law. DFID and the FCO maintain a robust and regular dialogue with the Government of Tanzania concerning the fight against corruption. Over the past year DFID has led General Budget Support donors in High Level Dialogue meetings on corruption with the Tanzanian Government, chaired by the Minister of Finance. These meetings have pressed the Government for substantive progress on investigation and prosecution of grand corruption cases, changes to legislation that supports anti-corruption measures and improved transparency in the extractive industries.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the contribution that the joint project of her Department's Developing Countries Capacity Building Unit and HM Revenue and Customs with the Tanzania Revenue Authority will make towards improving the environment for foreign investment in Tanzania.

Justine Greening: We expect the Developing Countries Capacity Unit to further strengthen support for the Tanzania Revenue Authority with greater technical assistance to address reform challenges. This would increase revenue collection and improve the business climate for foreign and domestic investment.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received from UK investors regarding the current environment for foreign investment in Tanzania.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department receives regular updates on economic situations in Tanzania, including from UK investors.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many officials in the Government Equalities Office are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Maria Miller: No officials from either DCMS or the Government Equalities Office, which as a result of the machinery of government change in September 2012 was brought under my control, are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Colombia on identifying and prosecuting those responsible for the death of José Rogelio Lopez on 11 April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Our embassy in Bogota is aware of the death of José Rogelio Lopez on 11 April, and wrote to the Colombian Attorney General on 11 June to ask for an update on investigations into the case.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of Ethiopia and Egypt regarding the Renaissance Dam; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the Renaissance Dam with senior Egyptian officials in June. Our ambassador in Addis Ababa discussed the issue with the Government of Ethiopia at a meeting for G8 member countries and China on 11 June. We will support any agreed outcome which is acceptable to the region.

Human Trafficking

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to combat human organ-trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Government fully supports action to combat the commercialisation of organs and the trafficking of people for organ harvesting. In the UK, we have a robust legal framework and regulatory oversight to combat any trafficking in this area. We have signed and ratified the major anti-trafficking instruments such as the UN Palermo Protocol and the Council of Europe convention against trafficking, which taken together represent a comprehensive response to all forms of trafficking, including organ harvesting.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) fully support the Declaration of Istanbul, which encourages all countries to draw up legal and professional frameworks to govern organ donation and transplantation activities. We have participated in a number of recent relevant initiatives, such as the development of World Health Organisation Guiding Principles, to ensure that human material removed from deceased and living donors for the purpose of transplantation only takes place according to agreed principles.
	The FCO lobbies the governments of those countries we judge to be apriority to sign and implement the international anti-trafficking instruments.
	The FCO also supports awareness arising among potential future victims of trafficking in order to prevent them falling into exploitative situations, including situations in which organ harvesting may occur.

Ilois: Resettlement

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the US administration on the possible re-settlement of Chagos islanders who wish to return to their homeland since his commitment to review the policy on re-settlement on 20 December 2012.

Mark Simmonds: There have been no recent representations from the US administration on the possible re-settlement of the Chagossians.

Kenya

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent changes he has made to the travel advice offered to British citizens travelling to or working in Kenya.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly reviews and updates the travel advice we provide to British nationals travelling and working abroad. The Kenya travel advice was last updated on 10 June 2013 after two grenade attacks in Likoni district, Mombasa and Eastleigh district, Nairobi. There have been 18 other updates to the Kenya travel advice this year.

Kenya

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation in Kenya and the effects of the recent election on the security situation in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The 4 March elections in Kenya were largely peaceful though there was some localised violence. Our travel advice sets out our latest assessment of the security situation in Kenya.

Kuwait

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Kuwaiti counterpart on Kuwaiti Bidoons.

Alistair Burt: I discussed this subject with my opposite number during bilateral talks on 2 June. Our embassy in Kuwait regularly speaks with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs about this issue.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent determination of Pre-Trial Chamber 1 of the International Criminal Court that the case against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is admissible and the Court's restating of Libya's obligation to surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the Court.

Alistair Burt: I have noted the decision reached on 31 May by the Pre-Trial Chamber 1 of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which rejected the Libyan Government's admissibility challenge to hold the trial of Saif al-Islam Qadhafi in Libya. The Libyan Government formally appealed the decision on 10 June and we await the response of the Appeals Chamber. We will continue to encourage the Libyan authorities to remain engaged with the ICC and maintain their full co-operation.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he discussed during his most recent visit to Tripoli the determination of Pre-Trial Chamber 1 of the International Criminal Court that the case against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is admissible and the Court's restating of Libya's obligation to surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the Court.

Alistair Burt: I did discuss the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reject Libya's admissibility challenge on the Saif al-Islam Qadhafi case with the Libyan Justice Minister during my recent visit to Tripoli. The Minister informed me that Libya intended to appeal the decision, which they formally submitted on 10 June. Our ambassador in Tripoli also regularly raises cooperation with the ICC with Libyan officials.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states which are signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and were present at the recent NPT Preparatory Committee meeting in Geneva raised concerns about (a) the continued possession by the P5 of nuclear weapons, (b) the lack of progress towards nuclear disarmament by the P5 and (c) the current plans of the Government to renew Trident; and what response was made by the UK representative to any such criticisms.

Alistair Burt: The Chairman's factual summary (UN document: NPT/CONF.2015/PC.II/CRP.2) at the recent Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee held in Geneva covers the issues raised by particular member states including the continued possession of nuclear weapons as well as progress on multilateral disarmament. Iran was the only state to issue a statement directly critical of the UK's decision to renew the submarine delivery platform used for its nuclear deterrent (“Trident”).
	The UK has a strong record on nuclear disarmament and has been very transparent about its nuclear capabilities and the limited and discreet role they play in its Defence policy. The Government's policy is to have the minimum credible deterrent. The use of nuclear weapons would be considered only in extreme circumstances of self-defence, including the defence of our NATO allies. The Government announced in 2010 a new, stronger security assurance: that the UK “will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states parties to the NPT”. This assurance, however, does not apply to any state “in material breach” of its nonproliferation obligations.
	The UK's statement on disarmament issued at the Preparatory Committee sets out our policy on these issues and the rationale for maintaining the minimum credible deterrent. The statement can be accessed on the UN website:
	http://papersmart.unmeetings.org/media/1516491/9_United _Kingdom_Clust_1_24_Apr_P.M..pdf

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held between the UK and US on the renewal and extension of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement on Atomic Energy Matters in the last 12 months; who attended such discussions; where they were held; what matters have been agreed in such discussions to date; and what matters remain to be concluded.

Alistair Burt: Aspects of the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement on Atomic Energy Matters are time-limited. The next amendment by both the UK and the US governments is due in 2014. Both governments will take forward the amendment in line with their own domestic processes and requirements. UK and US officials routinely share information on their respective processes and requirements to facilitate renewal.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the Government of Israel distinguishes between (a) Israel and (b) Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in statistical data provided as part of its membership of the OECD.

Alistair Burt: The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) confirmed, following the visit to Israel by members of the OECD Statistics Committee in summer 2011, that it will provide statistics that distinguish pre-1967 Israel and the areas occupied since 1967 when required to do so by the OECD. This confirmed a commitment made by the CBS at the time of the accession review. The impact on Israel's macroeconomic statistics of disaggregated data was assessed to be very small—less than 4% of GDP, and it was agreed that Israel would not need to provide disaggregated statistics for this. The impact was sufficiently larger for social issues, migration and employment, and it was agreed that in these areas, Israel should be asked to continue providing disaggregated statistics for any study carried out in these areas. Israeli statistics were assessed to have been of good quality and in line with international standards. The UK and other OECD members will continue to flag up the need for disaggregated statistics for social issues, migration and employment, and any other areas where it is deemed necessary.
	We have repeatedly condemned Israel's announcements to expand settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. As well as being illegal under international law, settlements undermine the possibility of a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and those working for a sustainable peace.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to discourage UK citizens from buying property in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: We make clear in our travel advice for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories that there are risks involved with purchasing property in Israeli settlements, on land that we consider to be occupied under international law; and that any future peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians or Syria could have consequences for properly purchased in settlements. However, we support legitimate investment by British citizens and companies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and are supportive of Secretary Kerry's economic programme to develop the Palestinian economy, alongside the political framework, as the basis for a sustainable peace.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is taking steps to discourage UK citizens from buying property in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: We make clear in our travel advice
	https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/the-occupied-palestinian-territories/money
	for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories that there are risks involved with purchasing property in Israeli settlements, on land that we consider to be occupied under international law; and that any future peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians or Syria could have consequences for property purchased in settlements. However, we support legitimate investment by British citizens and companies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and are supportive of Secretary Kerry's economic programme to develop the Palestinian economy, alongside the political framework, as the basis for a sustainable peace.

Swaziland

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on Swaziland being referred to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.

Mark Simmonds: We are aware of the calls by civil society and trade union groups including Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), for the Commonwealth to bring Swaziland under the scrutiny of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group for its failure to adhere to the Harare Declaration. To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1973 state of emergency in Swaziland, ACTSA recently launched a campaign asking the UK to support democracy and human rights in Swaziland, and for it to be referred to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. ACTSA's Campaigns Manager, Mark Beacon, wrote to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 25 March 2013 to highlight these concerns.

Swaziland

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits the British High Commissioner to Pretoria has made to Swaziland in each of the last five years.

Mark Simmonds: The British high commissioner to South Africa is also accredited as non-resident British high commissioner in Swaziland and Lesotho. She, or her predecessor, visited Swaziland at least once a year in each of the last five years (most recently in November 2012). The deputy high commissioner to Swaziland (also resident in Pretoria) visits at least three times a year, and other members of staff from the high commission in Pretoria visit for specific functions, including consular issues and scholarship interviews.

Swaziland

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions representatives of the Government have had with King Maswati III of Swaziland.

Mark Simmonds: The British high commissioner met with King Mswati in November 2012, together with other EU ambassadors. They collectively urged the King and Swazi Government to allow political parties to participate in the election due in 2013, in accordance with the wishes expressed by many Swazi people at the Sibaya (traditional council) in August 2012.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the government of Tanzania regarding (a) the treatment of UK investors in the mining industry, (b) the enforcement of law and order and (c) the level of corruption in that country.

Mark Simmonds: Our high commissioner in Dar es Salaam regularly raises governance issues affecting British investors, including in the mining industry and other sectors, with the Government of Tanzania. These issues include land rights, taxation, security of investment and corruption. We are committed to working to support the Government of Tanzania's efforts to address these, including through programmes run by the Department for International Development. I also discussed some of these issues during my last visit to Tanzania in March 2013.

Turkey

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Turkish Government on the tactics used by the police force during the ongoing civil unrest that began on 27 May 2013.

David Lidington: The British ambassador in Ankara issued a statement on 1 June, expressing concern at the violence, urging the authorities to exercise restraint, and encouraging them to respect the right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly, which is a fundamental human right in any democratic society. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the latest events with Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister on 11 June as part of a broader discussion and said he hoped the protests would be resolved peacefully.
	Turkey is a democracy with multi-party elections whose government has been democratically elected. We welcome statements from the Turkish Government apologising for the disproportionate use of force and recognising that some of the concerns raised by the protestors are legitimate. We hope the issues raised by the protestors are resolved through an inclusive process of constructive engagement and dialogue.

Turkey

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for UK foreign policy of the civil unrest that began in Turkey on 27 May 2013.

David Lidington: Turkey remains an important foreign policy partner and NATO ally. We collaborate with the Turkish Government very closely on important foreign policy priorities, including Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan. While we are concerned about the recent violence, we do not expect these events to have implications for our strategic foreign policy co-operation.
	We remain fully supportive of Turkey's EU Accession process. Significant results have been achieved, but, as Turkey itself recognises, more needs to be done. We would like to see an acceleration of the accession process to support this.

DEFENCE

Destroyers

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many destroyers the Royal Navy has on deployment at sea at any one time; and what the equivalent figure was in (a) 2003 and (b) 1993.

Andrew Robathan: The number of Royal Navy units at sea will vary on any given day as they could be deployed on operational tasking, conducting trials or operational sea training in preparation for deployment; they could be alongside for pre-or post-deployment leave; or they could be in refit or undergoing maintenance.
	On 11 June this year, there were three Royal Navy destroyers deployed at sea. On 11 June 2003, one destroyer was deployed at sea; and on 11 June 1993, there were three destroyers deployed at sea.

Asbestos Contamination: RAF Bases

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which RAF bases asbestos contamination is a health issue.

Mark Francois: There are no RAF bases where asbestos contamination is assessed as a health risk as all known asbestos is recorded on the site asbestos register, and managed in accordance with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations.
	I am, however, aware of the discovery of asbestos contamination at RAF Woodvale which has led to the cancellation of the Woodvale public rally. The rally was cancelled due to the discovery of asbestos in an area of the station that had previously been made available to the public. The asbestos is being managed in accordance with the regulations and presents no risk to staff at the site.

Joint Strike Fighter

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the F-35B joint strike fighter development programme.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friends, the Member for Salisbury (John Glen) and the Member for South Staffordshire (Gavin Williamson).

Service Housing

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress his Department has made in improving the quality of service housing.

Mark Francois: In the 2012 Budget, the Chancellor announced £100 million of additional investment in service accommodation in financial year 2013-14. In March 2013, the Defence Secretary announced that the Government would be investing £1.8 billion in the Army basing plan, £l billion of which will be spent on building brand new accommodation and refurbishing existing SFA properties. In 2012-13, the MOD undertook the capital purchase of some 700 new build homes for use as SFA, a further 816 SFA were upgraded to the highest Standard for Condition. Additionally, 3,822 SFA benefited from smaller scale improvements such as new kitchens and bathrooms, and over 12,000 SFA benefited from new or improved loft insulation.
	In 2013-14, the MOD plans to upgrade 650 SFA to the highest Standard for Condition.

Helmand Province

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the British Army's stabilisation activities in Helmand; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: The British Army's stabilisation activities in Helmand province are primarily conducted by the Military Stabilisation Support Group which has supported the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team's efforts since 2006.
	The group is formed from regulars and reservists. Its aim is to develop Afghan capacity to enable the delivery of their own infrastructure, government institutions, public services and economic development. This is an invaluable part of the UK's integrated approach to supporting the long-term success of Afghanistan.

Clothing Procurement

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of current clothing procurement for members of the armed forces.

Philip Dunne: The MOD takes clothing of our service personnel extremely seriously to ensure it is both right for the job and right for them. The range, quality and versatility of the clothing we issue to our troops is far greater than it has ever been and we are continually working to make further improvements.
	The Defence Clothing Team spent £80 million on clothing last year. The team manages some 30 major contracts, awarded to either UK or Western European companies. 90% of these companies are UK owned.

Official Development Assistance

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department’s budget was spent on official development assistance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Murrison: Official development assistance is reported by calendar year and the latest available UK Government figures are for 2011. The Ministry of Defence’s departmental budget is reported by financial year. For financial year 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence spent an estimated 0.015% of its departmental budget on official development assistance.

Compensation Policy

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on his Department’s compensation policy; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: I have recently engaged on a number of aspects of compensation policy with service and ex-service organisations, Parliament and MPs on behalf of their constituents. I have chaired the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation, met the chief executive of Combat Stress and the chairman of the Independent Medical Expert Group and visited the Naval Service Recovery Centre (Hasler Company) in Plymouth.
	The matters discussed have included the armed forces independence payment, Ministry of Defence funding for Combat Stress and medical and scientific aspects of the armed forces compensation scheme.

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Mark Francois: There are currently no Ministry of Defence officials on secondment to KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst and Young or PWC.

Afghanistan

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK is operating in compliance with the revised COMISAF Tactical Directive, Rev 5.1 in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: All UK forces deployed in Afghanistan comply with ISAF Tactical Directives and in parallel with UK targeting direction. Where ISAF and UK interpretations of targeting direction differ, the more restrictive elements apply. When Commander ISAF issued Tactical Directive 5.1 UK forces immediately applied the new guidance and this and subsequent tactical guidance is reflected in the national Targeting Directive.
	All units deploying to Afghanistan are trained in the Law of Armed Conflict and the requirements of the Tactical Directive during their Mission Specific Training. Furthermore compliance is assured through command scrutiny at all levels and access to legal advice is always provided.

Afghanistan

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex gratia payments his Department has made to Afghan civilians; what the amounts of such payments were; where the civilians concerned are located; and what the nature of the incidents was to which those payments related.

Andrew Robathan: 2,833 ex gratia payments amounting to £3,596,902.00 have been made to Afghan civilians up to 31 May 2013. Payments have been made in respect of deaths, injuries, road traffic incidents, property damage, and crop damage, occurring within Helmand Province and in Kabul. All these payments have been made since 1 April 2008; previously payments were made only if legal liability was admitted.

Apprentices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many apprentices are employed by his Department; and how many such apprentices are aged (a) under 19, (b) between 19 and 25, (c) between 26 and 30, (d) between 31 and 60 and (e) over 60.

Mark Francois: holding answer 3 June 2013
	There are currently 127 apprentices employed by the Ministry of Defence. Their age breakdown is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Age Number of apprentices 
			 Under 19 9 
			 19-25 101 
			 26-30 11 
			 31-60 6 
			 Over 60 0 
		
	
	This excludes the large number of service personnel who are undertaking apprenticeships as part of their training.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of teenage recruits to the armed forces prematurely ending their service contracts in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: No such estimate has been made. The military recruitment and training cycle is, by its nature, a continuous rolling programme which is designed to accommodate some degree of outflow, including the loss of some personnel who enlist as teenagers but prematurely end their engagements as part of normal business.

Army: Termination of Employment

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army service leavers failed to receive a service leaver's pack from the termination cell within nine months of their date of termination in each of the last three years.

Mark Francois: The information requested is not held.

Australia and New Zealand

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what trilateral defence engagement the UK has with Australia and New Zealand.

Andrew Robathan: Most defence engagement with Australia and New Zealand is bilateral or multilateral, often as part of either the Five-Eyes (with the US and Canada) or the Five Powers Defence Arrangements (with Malaysia and Singapore).
	At the trilateral level, the formal biennial BRITANZ dialogue, held at Chief of Defence Staff level, was last held in New Zealand in February 2013.

Cybercrime

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in improving cyber-security within the defence supply chain; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on cyber-security breaches at Qinetiq North America; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential risks to UK national security arising from cyber-security breaches at Qinetiq North America; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes information assurance and cyber security very seriously. We continuously work with our suppliers to counter cyber threats. The MOD/Industry Defence Supplier Forum recently endorsed a joint programme to improve supply chain security including work on: measurements and standards, communications, skills, training, and information sharing.
	QinetiQ North America is an independent US company separated from QinetiQ by a proxy agreement. There have been no discussions relating to the specific issue of security breaches at this company between the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and Secretary Hagel.
	We judge that our cyber strategy and plans are robust and capable of addressing a wide range of threats to our cyber defence. It would be inappropriate to comment further on the detail of the specific measures we take to protect our systems.

Defence Equipment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that surface protection on military (a) land, (b) air vehicles and (c) marine vehicles is appropriate for the modern theatre of war.

Philip Dunne: The threat to military personnel is constantly evolving and is kept under constant review to ensure that the appropriate force protection measures are put in place. Often, several different types of measure are used to counter any threat providing a layered approach to protection of our personnel. Such measures can include physical protection; adapting tactics, techniques and procedures; effective use of intelligence; and electronic countermeasures.

East Asia

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which East Asian countries the UK has military facilities or personnel; and what change there has been in such deployments in the last 10 years.

Andrew Robathan: The United Kingdom has Defence Attachés in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Posts in the Philippines and Thailand were closed in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The Defence section in China was expanded from two Attaché posts to three in 2006, and there were reductions in Malaysia (from two posts to one in 2007) and Korea (from two posts to one in 2008). In the course of the next 12 months, reflecting the Government's network shift to Asia, we plan to reinstate the post in Thailand and also to establish resident Attaché coverage in Burma and Vietnam.
	In support of our commitment to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore we maintain a small Naval facility at Sembawang in Singapore and contribute to the staff of the Integrated Area Defence System Headquarters (HQ IADS) at Butterworth in Malaysia. Staff at Sembawang total one Commander Royal Navy (who also serves as assistant Defence Attaché), one Chief Petty Officer, one Petty officer and three Ministry of Defence civil servants. This has remained constant for the last 10 years. Our contribution to HQ IADS over the period has remained constant at one Wing Commander, one Squadron Leader, one Lieutenant Commander, one Major and one other rank.
	We maintain a garrison in Brunei. From 2003 to 2013 the number of Garrison Support Troops has remained broadly constant, varying between 100 and 130. These figures include seven Flight Army Air Corps, Training Team Brunei and the Theatre Support Troops.
	Between 2003 and 2013 the Resident Infantry Battalion garrisoned in Brunei has reduced from a high of about 830 to the current level of 648. Since 2003 there have been four deployments from the garrison to Afghanistan of up to 550 personnel.

HMS Tireless

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to prevent further leaks of coolant from HMS Tireless; and if he will take steps to ensure that replacement submarines are constructed in such a way as to ensure that such leaks cannot occur.

Philip Dunne: The defect investigation into the recent leak of a very small quantity of coolant on HMS Tireless and the consequent repairs have both now been completed.
	The designs of Naval nuclear reactor plants are informed by lessons from earlier designs, including experience of any in-service defects. Such lessons are applied wherever practicable, including on submarines that are either being built or designed.

HMS Tireless

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulatory permissions have been issued by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator in regards to HMS Tireless since its reactor coolant leak was identified; and if he will place copies of any such permissions in the Library.

Philip Dunne: The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has permissioned three activities related to the coolant leak in HMS Tireless:
	permission to vent the reactor compartment to atmosphere external to the submarine;
	permission to conduct repairs at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport; and
	permission for continued operation of HMS Tireless following completion of repairs.
	The documents incorporating these permissions are being redacted and will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as they are available.

Japan and USA

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defence engagement the UK has with Japan and the US.

Andrew Murrison: Our relationship with Japan—the third largest economy in the world—is crucial to our prosperity. However, it is also increasingly important to our security; as a like-minded ally Japan shares many of our interests, values and goals. Our security and defence engagement relationship has become stronger and closer in recent years and continues to improve. In Tokyo in April 2012, the Prime Ministers of Japan and the UK issued a joint statement pledging the UK and Japan to work more closely together on defence and security issues, including peace support operations, counter piracy, cyber and collaboration on defence equipment. We have been working on an information sharing agreement that will permit the sharing of classified material and on an agreement that will establish the legal basis for the UK and Japan to collaborate on joint research, production and development of defence equipment.
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review made it clear that the USA remains Britain’s most important bilateral ally. Ministry of Defence personnel engage on a daily basis with their US colleagues on defence issues that affect our national interests, and take action to ensure that we remain the US’ partner of choice on defence and security matters. The relationship continues to evolve and remains central to the development of important UK capabilities (e.g. Joint Strike Fighter, Carrier Strike, Successor Deterrent) and securing the interoperability and expertise necessary to ensure our armed forces are able to work with their US counterparts bilaterally, in NATO or elsewhere.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much his Department spent in total on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(2)  what the top 20 highest amounts paid by his Department for external legal advice was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; who received each such payment; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought in each case;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(4)  what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department has been since 7 May 2010.

Mark Francois: holding answer 5 June 2013
	The Ministry of Defence delegates authority for expenditure on external legal advice within the Department and it will therefore take time to collate the information.
	I will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.

Military Attachés

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the annual average cost to the public purse of a defence attaché is;
	(2)  how the UK defence attaché network is funded; and what the annual cost to the public purse of this total network was in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Murrison: The defence attaché network is funded out of the Defence Budget. The cost in financial year 2012-13 for 72 Defence Sections was £41.092 million (this figure excludes training and does not include British Defence Staff in the United States).

Military Bases

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 487W, on armed forces: domestic violence, what protocols exist between the police and military police in relation to military bases; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: A policing protocol between the Ministry of Defence Police, the three service police forces and Home Office police forces was agreed in 2008 to provide for an efficient and effective working relationship between the signatories outlining, where necessary, areas of responsibility and accountability. A separate protocol between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland was agreed in 2009 to provide guidance on the investigation of deaths on land or premises owned, occupied or under the control of the Ministry of Defence.
	A number of separate local agreements are in place between the service police forces and Home Office police forces. These cover a range of issues, including the use of police custody facilities by the service police, information sharing and the protective security arrangements in place at military bases. The Ministry of Defence police also has a number of protocols in place with local police forces that cover a range of policing operations.

Military Decorations: World War II

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects veterans to receive the Arctic Convoy Medal.

Mark Francois: It is anticipated that all entitled veterans who have applied will have received their awards by the end of summer 2013.

Nuclear Submarines

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the economic effects of the UK's submarine building programme.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is aware that BAE Systems Maritime—Submarines have contracted for a limited study into the economic contribution of the Successor programme. The MOD does not make specific assessments of the economic effects of our programmes. In making investment decisions, we focus on delivering the capability requirement in a manner which provides the best value for money.
	However, any decision to discontinue the UK's sovereign submarine-manufacturing capability, or to reduce future submarine orders, would clearly have a substantial impact on the local economy in Barrow, and in other locations in which the supply chain is concentrated.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's (a) hazard assessment and (b) technical justification for public protection advice in the event of an emergency involving the transportation of nuclear weapons was last reviewed; and when the next review is scheduled to take place.

Philip Dunne: The hazard assessment and technical justification were reviewed in 1992, prior to the weapon entering service in 1993-94. The public protection advice is based on the potential hazards posed and there has been no fundamental change to these since the review. A future review is planned but no date has yet been set.

Personnel Management

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of his Department's human resources functions was.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has provided the Civil Service Next Generation Human Resources (HR) Programme with the following information on the size and cost of its civilian HR function, including its trading funds:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of full-time equivalent posts as at 31 March Cost of the HR function (£ million) 
			 2009-10 1,341 82.357 
			 2010-11 1,130 63.125 
			 2011-12 752 45.696 
		
	
	Information on the grades of officials engaged in HR activities is not held centrally in the format requested.
	These reductions demonstrate progress towards our goal of delivering better business outcomes at a significantly reduced cost. Figures for 2012-13 are still being collected, although early indications are that they will show a continuing downward trend.

Reserve Forces

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding he has allocated under each budget heading to the Army Reserves in each of the last three years; and how much funding he plans to allocate in each of the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 11 June 2013
	As previously announced on 8 November 2012, the Ministry of Defence is investing an additional £1.8 billion over the next 10 years on reserves to increase and develop the trained strength of the reserves and to enhance their capability. It will be spent to increase recruiting and improve retention, to enhance training at all levels, and to provide more and better equipment. This investment has already begun and will enable reserve forces of all three services to play greater roles as integral elements of the whole force.
	There are three main areas of spend on Army reserves: manpower, which is based on man training days (MTDs); support and recruitment costs; and the further programme of work to create the conditions for growth of the Army reserve (known as Future Reserves 20).
	It is not possible to split out costs for support and recruitment support, which are contained within wider budgets. The funding that can be separately identified for the last three financial years (FY), and the current year, on manpower and Future Reserves 20, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Budget (£ millions) 
			 Financial year Reserves manpower Future Reserves 20 Total 
			 2010-11 118 — 118 
			 2011-12 112 — 112 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 114 62 176 
			 2013-14 118 76 194 
		
	
	We are currently conducting the planning process to allocate funding for the next financial year. Spending in financial year 2015-16 and beyond is the subject of the current and future spending rounds.
	The manpower budget allocation is based upon MTDs.
	Future Reserves 20 funding covers work to set the conditions to enlarge the reserves. This includes upgrading the estate, equipment and Terms and Conditions of Service.

Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he and officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such meetings.

Andrew Robathan: Neither I nor Ministry of Defence officials have met the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling) as part of the Scotland Analysis programme.

Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursement for travel subsistence expenses in each of the last five years; what the total cost was of such claims; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest subsistence claims in each such year.

Mark Francois: The information available on the reimbursement of travel and subsistence to the Ministry of Defence’s civilian staff, including those providing secretariat functions in support of the Department’s non-departmental public bodies, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of staff reimbursed Value of claims reimbursed (£ million) 
			 2007-08 41,872 45.5 
			 2008-09 41,228 44.3 
			 2009-10 31,710 37.3 
			 2010-11 32,412 27.8. 
			 2011-12 28,818 25.0 
		
	
	A ranking of subsistence claims could be provided only at disproportionate cost; some claims will cover multiple duty commitments which will be reimbursed as a single payment.
	These figures represent the reimbursement of costs incurred, in the UK and overseas, on accommodation (in hotels, service messes and staying with family and friends), meals, public transport (such as buses, taxis and the underground), the use of privately owned vehicles for duty journeys, and incidental expenses.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 527W, on unmanned air vehicles, 
	(1)  how many Army personnel have received unmanned aerial systems training; and what proportion of those trained personnel currently operate unmanned aerial systems in (a) the UK, (b) Afghanistan and (c) the Middle East; [R]
	(2)  how many Army personnel have been trained since the Army acquired unmanned aerial systems; [R]
	(3)  at what intervals training for the operation of unmanned aerial systems is reviewed; [R]
	(4)  how many days of training each operator of unmanned aerial systems receives. [R]

Andrew Robathan: Mini unmanned aerial system (UAS) pilots receive a minimum of 71 days training. Tactical UAS pilots receive a minimum of 91 days training.
	Since April 1999, 461 students have passed the UAS ground school course which is the precursor to UAS pilot training. Of these 140 UAS pilots (30% of those trained) are currently based in the UK and are qualified on systems which are flown in UK airspace for training purposes only. Up to 21 UAS pilots (5%) are deployed in the middle east for training purposes only. 48 UAS pilots (10%) are currently deployed in Afghanistan. The remaining 252 (55%) are either no longer in the Army, no longer employed as UAS pilots, or operate Hermes 450 which is not cleared for UK flying.
	The Army has a process for evaluating every course for its effectiveness and relevance so that it can respond to changes in operational need.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any disciplinary measures have been brought against army personnel in relation to the operation of unmanned aerial systems.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2013, Official Report, column 326W, to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of any review of tactical and operational policy relating to targeting by unmanned aerial systems undertaken by his Department to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.

Andrew Robathan: The UK policy relating to targeting by unmanned aircraft systems is exactly the same as that for manned aircraft. It is enshrined in Joint Service Publication (JSP) 900 and is entirely compliant with International Humanitarian Law. Due to the security classification of JSP 900 I am unable to place copies in the Library of the House.

Unmanned Marine Vehicles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to increase the use of unmanned marine vehicles.

Philip Dunne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) on 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 849W. An update will be provided to the House of Commons Defence Committee in the summer of 2013 with a further update in the summer of 2014.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what guidance his Department gives on wind turbine applications;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the radar at Cletraval, Uist, of small domestic turbines in the machair.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is a consultee only in the planning application process. Local planning authorities (LPA) should consult with the MOD if a proposed turbine is 11 metres to blade tip or taller, and/or has a rotor diameter of two metres or more. On receipt of an application, experts carry out a full assessment of the proposal and respond back to the LPA.
	The MOD is willing to engage with applicants and offer guidance to resolve issues where possible; however, it remains the responsibility of developers to put forward mitigation proposals for MOD officials to consider.
	There has been a recent increase in the number of turbine applications around the Air Defence Radar at Remote Radar Head Benbecula (Cletraval), and the MOD has become concerned about the cumulative impact of turbines on the radar. A greater number of turbines in one area can increase the risk to air safety, as the radar picture becomes desensitised.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Bernie Ecclestone

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Serious Fraud Office is providing any assistance to fraud prosecutors in Germany to assist in the trial of Bernie Ecclestone.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office regularly provides assistance to overseas prosecutors and has an international assistance unit. It would not be appropriate for the SFO to comment on the detail of such matters.

Fraud: Sentencing

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1227W, on fraud, how many of the prison sentences imposed as a result of Serious Fraud Office prosecutions in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the previous five years were (i) immediate and (ii) suspended.

Oliver Heald: The information requested is in the following table. The figures have been calculated using the year the conviction was recorded rather than the year the sentence was imposed where these are different; two offenders convicted in 2012-13 and one offender convicted in 2011-12 have not yet been sentenced.
	
		
			  Number of offenders sentenced to immediate custodial sentence Number of offenders sentenced to suspended custodial sentence 
			 2012-13 12 0 
			 2011-12 32 5 
			 2010-11 16 5 
			 2009-10 15 7 
			 2008-09 23 7 
			 2007-08 15 2

Legal Aid Scheme

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions about the effect of the proposed changes to criminal legal aid on the principle of equality of arms in legal proceedings in the courts of England and Wales.

Oliver Heald: None, though the Director of Public Prosecutions as a courtesy showed me the Crown Prosecution Service's response to the Ministry of Justice Consultation, 'Transforming legal aid'.

Offences Against Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General how many finalised defendant prosecutions were prosecuted under charges relating to sexual offences involving a victim under 18 (a) for the last three years for which data is available and (b) for each month since January 2013, by ethnicity.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of defendant prosecutions where the most serious offence at the time of finalization is categorised as a sexual offence. The following table sets out the number of prosecutions for sexual offences by defendant ethnicity where the victim has been identified as being under 18 years of age.
	
		
			 Defendant—Self defined ethnicity 2010 2011 2012 
			 A1—Indian 54 49 33 
			 A2—Pakistani 72 104 84 
			 A3—Bangladeshi 34 30 33 
			 A9—Any Other Asian Background 51 42 44 
			 B1—Caribbean 79 61 69 
			 B2—African 60 61 62 
			 B9—Any Other Black Background 26 24 34 
			 M1—White and Black Caribbean 21 13 20 
			 M2—White and Black African 4 7 5 
			 M3—White and Asian 5 9 9 
			 M9—Any Other Mixed Background 6 15 20 
			 O1—Chinese 5 7 3 
			 O9—Any Other Ethnic Group 37 25 28 
			 W1—British 3,539 3,662 3,150 
			 W2—Irish 22 34 28 
		
	
	
		
			 W9—Any Other White Background 110 96 100 
			 NS—Not Stated 151 208 244 
			 Not Recorded 282 317 339 
			 Total 4,556 4,764 4,305 
		
	
	The following table shows the monthly breakdown for 2013:
	
		
			  2013 
			  January February March April May 
			 A1—Indian 1 5 1 2 5 
			 A2—Pakistani 7 4 13 2 15 
			 A3—Bangladeshi 0 2 2 3 7 
			 A9—Any Other Asian Background 3 2 7 6 7 
			 B1—Caribbean 1 6 3 4 4 
			 B2—African 6 7 4 5 3 
			 B9—Any Other Black Background 4 1 5 3 6 
			 M1—White and Black Caribbean 2 1 1 1 1 
			 M2—White and Black African 0 0 1 0 1 
			 M3—White and Asian 0 0 1 2 0 
			 M9—Any Other Mixed Background 1 1 1 1 1 
			 O9—Any Other Ethnic Group 1 2 1 0 3 
			 W1—British 204 242 236 258 254 
			 W2—Irish 0 0 2 4 2 
			 W9—Any Other White Background 3 7 12 3 10 
			 NS—Not Stated 11 20 24 20 27 
			 Not Recorded 24 30 35 43 33 
			 Total 268 330 349 357 379

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Anti-Slavery Day

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to mark Anti Slavery Day on 18 October 2013; and if he will take steps to ensure that ministers and officials in his Department are offered opportunities to be involved in various events organised by his Department, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.

Don Foster: We welcome and encourage steps taken by voluntary, community and public sector organisations to commemorate Anti Slavery Day. DCLG Ministers will seek to participate in these commemorations.

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (a) how much funding his Department allocated to and (b) what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Don Foster: The Department has provided no funding to, or held any contracts with, the Big Society Network.

Energy Performance Certificates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made on meeting the commitment in the 2011 Carbon Plan to encourage voluntary take-up of display energy certificates in the commercial sector.

Don Foster: In December 2012, my Department updated and reiterated guidance on display energy certificates which makes clear that although private organisations do not need to display a certificate they may elect to do so on a voluntary basis. The guidance is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/51164/A_guide_to_display_energy_certificates _and_advisory_reports_for_public_buildings.pdf

Fire Services

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total cost to his Department is of the consultation on fire brigade mutualisation.

Brandon Lewis: I have made no assessment of costs to my Department on the pre-consultation on fire mutuals as this was undertaken within the normal course of business.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was allocated to each local authority in homelessness prevention grant or its predecessor in each of the last five years; and how much has been allocated to each local authority in 2013-14.

Mark Prisk: A spreadsheet has been placed in the Library of the House showing the amount allocated to each English local authority in Homelessness Prevention Grant or its predecessor in each of the last five years, and also in 2013-14.
	The Homelessness Prevention Grant totals provided are the baseline figures and exclude funding that has previously been rolled into the grant to cover under-occupancy and tenancy fraud.
	As of 2013-14 the Homelessness Prevention Grant has been rolled into the Business Rate Retention scheme.
	We have increased funding from £51 million in 2009-10 to £80 million in 2013-14.
	At the beginning of this Parliament we established a Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness to tackle the complex drivers of homelessness. The Group has published two reports so far, ‘Vision to end rough sleeping’, and ‘Making every contact count’, which are available via the Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/vision-to-end-rough-sleeping--2
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-every-contact-count-a-joint-approach-to-preventing-homelessness
	We have since made common sense changes to the rules to enable local authorities to help families quickly into settled homes in the private rented sector and we are tackling affordability by increasing supply of affordable and market rent housing.
	We have invested £470 million over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) to help local authorities and the voluntary sector prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We have also increased the Discretionary Housing Payments pot to around £350 million over the spending period to help families and those in vulnerable situations with the transition of welfare reform changes.
	We supported the Mayor of London to develop the No Second Night Out scheme to ensure nobody new spends a second night sleeping rough on London's streets. The principles are being rolled out across the country backed by a new £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund.
	We have also supported the voluntary sector to develop a new service—Street Link—which offers a hand-up, rather than a handout. Street Link provides a central point of contact that anyone who wants to get help for rough sleepers across England can call. The national telephone line (0300 500 0914) was launched last year.
	On 6 June I announced a new Bed and Breakfast Working Group which will work closely with local authorities to help them reduce the number of families in bed and breakfast accommodation. We invited the 15 local authorities with the highest number of families in bed and breakfasts to bid for a share of £1.8 million to help them find innovative and sustainable solutions to the problem.

Housing: Construction

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the number of new affordable homes built in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Cumbria in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Prisk: Statistics on additional affordable housing provided in each local authority area in England are published in the Department's live tables 1006, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
	These figures include both newly built housing and acquisitions.
	Following the abolition of regional government by the coalition, DCLG no longer publishes statistics at a regional level and does not believe that regions provide a coherent or meaningful framework for assessing public policy. Instead, our published statistics relate, where relevant, to other local geographies which are more aligned with public policy.

Housing: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his contribution of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 604, for what reasons he stated that red tape in Wales would add £13,000 to the cost of building a new home compared to England; if he will provide an analysis of the regulatory costs contributing to that figure; what representations he has received on the outcome of the Callow Mount Sprinkler Retrofit Project; and if he will meet Ann Jones AM to discuss the provisions of the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the comprehensive reply from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), to Ann Jones AM on the cumulative burden of regulation on the housing market in Wales.
	A copy of letter is available in the Library of the House and online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-on-the-housing-market-in-wales--2
	On the broader issue of fire sprinklers, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 376W, and the review in 2005. The Callow Mount Sprinkler Retrofit Project provides a potentially useful case study on specific issue of high-rise buildings.

Local Press

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of all the evidence he has compiled relating to the effect of local authority publications on local newspapers.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 16 May 2013
	The Impact Assessment for the 2011 Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity, together with the recent consultation paper on Protecting the Independent Press from Unfair Competition and the Government's response to that consultation, all available on the Department's website, draw together evidence relating to the effect of local authority publications on local independent newspapers.

Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which local planning authorities in England were more than 20 per cent of major decisions overturned at appeal in the last two years.

Nicholas Boles: Statistics on appeals are published annually by the Planning Inspectorate. Figures are shown by local authority but do not distinguish decision types. Statistics for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are available in Table 6.1 at the following links:
	http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/statistics_eng/stats_report_final_2011_2012.xls
	http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/statistics_eng/annual_2012_13.xls
	Statistics on decisions by type and local planning authority are published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Statistics for the years ending December 2011 and December 2012 are available in Table 132 at the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-applications-in-england-october-to-december-2011
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics

Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which local planning authorities in England were 30 per cent or fewer of major decisions made on time in the last two years.

Nicholas Boles: The latest published statistics showing the percentages of major decisions made on time by local planning authorities are for the year ending December 2012 (Planning Application statistics Table 132). This is available from the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics
	Published statistics for the previous year, showing the percentage of major decisions made on time by local planning authorities for the year ending December 2011 (Planning Application statistics Table 132), are available from the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-applications-in-england-october-to-december-2011

Public Houses: Scotland

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1129, on public houses: Scotland, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to implement the powers of Part 9, section 179 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 in the rest of the UK.

Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Section 179 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 requires new applicants for alcohol licences to provide a disabled access and facilities statement. The Government has no plans to implement this measure in England and Wales.

Regional Planning and Development: Worcestershire

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has yet received the South Worcestershire Development Plan; and when he expects the independent examination of this plan to have been completed.

Nicholas Boles: The South Worcestershire Local Plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination on 28 May 2013. The appointed inspector has not yet agreed the examination timetable so we are unable to estimate when the examination will conclude.
	The average time taken by the Planning Inspectorate to examine submitted plans to the issue of a final report is around six to seven months, subject to no fundamental issues being identified by the inspector.

Right to Buy Scheme: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority properties in Swindon Borough have been purchased through the right-to-buy scheme in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: There were 73 sales through the Right to Buy scheme in Swindon in the four years between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Figures at a local authority level are only currently available back to 2009-10.
	It should be noted that these are sales from local authorities and do not include sales of social housing stock through Preserved Right to Buy made by registered providers (such as housing associations).
	Right to Buy sales have trebled in Swindon since the new discounts were introduced, but there is more to do to inform tenants of their new rights and help them up the ladder of home ownership.
	Local authority sales through the Right to Buy scheme are available at local authority level and can be found in Tables 691 (quarterly data) and 685 (annual data) here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under what criteria his Department allocates available formula grant to upper tier authorities to fund highways maintenance.

Brandon Lewis: Formula Grant is an unhypothecated block grant. It is therefore not possible to state how much is provided for any particular service. Details of formula grant methodology are available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1213/basicguid.pdf
	From April 2013 councils no longer receive formula grant. They are now funded for services by central Government principally through Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates. The business rate retention incentive is a watershed in council financing as it sets them free to grow their income by building up new business rates revenue by supporting new firms and jobs.

Urban Areas: Regeneration

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will reallocate unspent funds from the Portas pilots to other town teams.

Mark Prisk: No, the Government gave 24 Portas pilots a share of £2.3 million in 2012 to spend as and when they saw fit to best improve their high streets.
	Each plan to rejuvenate a high street will be different, therefore the way, speed and manner that local teams spend money will be different. These are long-term projects, and teams are taking a strategic approach that is consciously trying not to spend all the funding awarded at once.
	Pilots up and down the country are working together successfully and achieving results, from Rotherham helping local businesses expand and develop, to Loughborough bringing students and local residents into town with a loyalty scheme. But this is just the start, which is why I established the Future High Streets Forum, made up of leading figures from retail, property, business, academics, third sector, civil society and Government, to drive forward ideas and policies to help high streets adapt and compete.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the decision-making process is for decisions to approve onshore wind farms of (a) under and (b) over 50 MW capacity in both England and Wales.

Mark Prisk: Planning applications for onshore wind farms of 50 MW capacity and below in England and Wales are made to the relevant local planning authority. Applications for development consent for wind farms over 50 MW capacity in England and Wales are determined under the provisions of the Planning Act 2008 and submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Following a public examination, recommendations are made to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who takes the decision on whether consent for the project should be granted.
	Applications for consent for projects over 50MW in England and Wales which were made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 continue to be determined under that regime. In those cases, the Department of Energy and Climate Change process the application and the decision is taken by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Where a relevant local authority objects to an application, a mandatory public inquiry is held and an inspector provides the written report and recommendation to the Secretary of State.

CABINET OFFICE

Charity Commission

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to clarify and reinforce the objectives of the Charity Commission.

Nick Hurd: We are considering the recommendations in the recently published Public Administration Select Committee report, The Role of the Charity Commission and “public benefit”: Post-legislative scrutiny of the Charities Act 2006. In a time of limited resources it is important that the Charity Commission prioritises its core regulatory functions—in particular investigation of the abuse of charity.

Community Development

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1175W, on community organisers, what estimate he has made of the number of senior community organisers to be appointed in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: 311 senior community organisers have been recruited as of the end of April 2013.
	An additional 170 senior community organisers will be recruited in 2013-14 and an additional 68 will be recruited in 2014-15
	Every senior community organiser is able to apply for a match funded £15,000 start-up grant to continue their work after completing their training year. As of the end of April 2013, 54 people have secured match funding and are currently working as a qualified community organiser.

Conditions of Employment: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Scotland have been employed on zero hours contracts in each year since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Scotland have been employed on zero hours contracts in each year since May 2010 (160289).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Estimates of the number of zero hour contracts are not available from this source. Estimates of the number of people on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey, but due to sample size are not available for areas smaller than the UK.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and Claimant Count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Death: Drugs

Julie Elliott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many drug-related deaths there were in (a) the north east, (b) Sunderland local authority area and (c) Sunderland Central constituency in 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many drug-related deaths there were in (a) the North East, (b) Sunderland Local Authority and (c) Sunderland Central Constituency in 2012. (160158)
	Table 1 provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was drug-related poisoning for persons in the North East region, Sunderland local authority and Sunderland Central parliamentary constituency in 2011 (the latest year available).
	The number of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales from 1993 to 2011 are available on the ONS website;
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/2011/stb-deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning-2011.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was drug-related poisoning; north east region, Sunderland local authority and Sunderland Central parliamentary constituency, deaths registered in 2011(1, 2, 3) 
			 Area Deaths 
			 North East Region 163 
			 Sunderland Local Authority 15 
		
	
	
		
			 Sunderland Central Constituency 6 
			 (1) Cause of death related to drug poisoning was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes shown in Box 1 below. (2) Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as at May 2013. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in 2011. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a drug-related death to be registered. Additional information on registration delays for drug-related deaths can be found in the annual statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1: ICD-10 codes used to define deaths related to drug poisoning 
			 Description ICD 10 Codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Foreign Nationals: Commonwealth

Charles Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many Commonwealth citizens, who are not UK passport holders, reside in each of the country's 650 parliamentary constituencies; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many Commonwealth citizens who are not UK passport holders reside in the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many Commonwealth citizens, who are not UK passport holders, reside in each of the country's 650 parliamentary constituencies (160125) and the UK (160126).
	The 2011 Census did not collect information about citizenship although passports held and countries of birth were collected.
	The table provides the usual numbers of residents at the time of the 2011 Census who were born in a non-UK Commonwealth country and who held a non-UK passport, by parliamentary constituency in England and Wales. This information is not currently available for the whole of the UK, but can be made available as a commissioned output early in 2014.
	As the table is quite large, it will be stored in the Library of the House.

Honours: Scotland

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the name is of each individual nominated by the Scottish Government to the Honours Committee since May 2007.

Francis Maude: Information about honours nominees is held in confidence. Nominees do not choose to be nominated and the Government considers it would be unfair to individuals who are not aware of their nomination if their names were to be made public. The names of recipients are in the public domain.

Job Creation: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs created in Cumbria in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs created in Cumbria in each of the last five years. (160045)
	Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net changes in the number of people employed have been provided. The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for areas below the UK following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	The table shows the number and net change of people employed in Cumbria. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period January 2012 to December 2012, the latest period available, and the 12 month periods ending in December in each year since 2008.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: The net change in number of people employed in Cumbria 
			 Thousand 
			 12 months ending December each year: Number of people employed aged 16 and over Net change in employment(1) (+/-) 
			 2008 241 — 
			 2009 234 -6 
			 2010 233 -1 
			 2011 230 -3 
			 2012(2) *236 6 
			 (1) The net change is calculated on unrounded figures. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV <5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey

Office for National Statistics

Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the ease of use and ease of access to data for users of the Office for National Statistics' website.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the ease of use and ease of access to data for users of the Office for National Statistics' website (160144).
	ONS is monitoring and assessing user feedback on its website on a regular and on-going basis. Current feedback suggests users would like to see further improvements to ease use and access to data. ONS has established a programme of improvements to the website (the Improving Dissemination Programme). Recent improvements to the website include:
	the introduction of “Theme” landing pages. An easy entry route into our statistics via short stories, infographics, and interactive content, these dynamic pages are proving engaging and popular with users;
	the introduction of ‘all releases' pages have created a static link to product pages which are automatically updated as new content is released. This enables users to bookmark a single page that holds all editions of a particular release;
	enhancements to “search” facilities, including the boosting of relevancy of newer content and the addition of a synonym index to aid findability.
	ONS is bringing new digital skills into the organisation to improve the quality of the website. As part of the programme, a User Insight Team will collate user feedback and feed this into development plans. A broad range of users of the site will be involved in all significant developments.
	The ONS will continue to report to the UK Statistics Authority on future developments and improvements.

Open Government Partnership

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he intends to publish the Open Government Partnership Action Plan.

Nick Hurd: Our first National Action Plan was published in 2011. A first draft of the UK's second OGP (Open Government Partnership) National Action Plan is due to be published shortly. There will then be a period of consultation and wider participative engagement. The final OGP UK National Action Plan will be published by end October 2013.

Shipping: Pay

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department compiles data on rates of pay for seafarer ratings working in the UK maritime sector.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether his Department compiles data on rates of pay for seafarer ratings working in the UK maritime sector. (159898)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom, Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.
	ASHE does not cover the armed forces. The closest Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2010 unit group to seafarer rating for which earnings information is available in ASHE is ‘Marine and waterways transport operatives’. The following table shows the median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees working in this occupation unit group in the UK in April 2012.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employee jobs(1) in the ‘marine and waterways transport operatives’ occupation, UK, April 2012 
			 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2010 unit group Median gross weekly earnings (£) 
			 Marine and waterways transport operatives *583.5 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV <= 5% * CV > 5% and <= 10% ** CV > 10% and <= 20%

Social Action Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 964W, on social action fund, how many organisations benefited from the change in criteria for the Social Action Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 10 June 2013
	It is not possible to judge how many additional organisations applied to the Social Action Fund as a result of the expanded criteria. However, all applicants were assessed under this expanded criteria and two organisations benefiting from the expansion were awarded a grant. These were Big Society Network and City Year.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding his Department has allocated for the Big Society Awards in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 and what funding has been allocated for this purpose in 2013-14; which organisations organise and deliver the awards; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 6 June 2013
	In 2010-11 and 2011-12 the Big Society Awards were delivered in-house by Cabinet Office staff. In addition to staff costs, the Cabinet Office allocated £2,014 to delivering the awards in 2010-11 and £8,700 in 2011-12. In addition, the Young Foundation hosted a reception for the awards in 2011-12.
	In 2012-13, £3,643 was allocated to spend internally on the award, in addition to staff costs. In addition £350,000 was allocated to Big Society Network to support the Cabinet Office on the awards. Big Society Network was asked to design and develop the website:
	www.bigsocietyawards.org
	to raise the profile of the awards and to increase the number of awards announced, as well as to promote social action more widely and to support and accelerate social entrepreneurs and social innovators to deliver big society solutions.
	For 2013-14 the spend for the Big Society Awards is projected to be £152,145. £2,145 is allocated to spend internally in addition to staff costs, and £150,000 is allocated to the Society Network Foundation, the charitable arm of the Big Society Network.

Young People: Voluntary Work

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much the National Citizen Service has cost in each year since its inception;
	(2)  how many participants in the National Citizen Service are eligible for free school meals;
	(3)  how many 16 and 17 year olds participating in the National Citizen Service are resident in wards in the top 20 index of multiple deprivation;
	(4)  what proportion of participants in the National Citizen Service are of each ethnic group.

Nick Hurd: The NatCen interim evaluation of National Citizen Service pilots reported that the 2011 programme cost Government £14.2 million to deliver. The evaluation of the 2012 programme and Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts will be published shortly.
	The findings of the NatCen interim evaluation of National Citizen Service 2011 pilots show that those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds were well represented in NCS, with 23% of participants on free school meals. This is above the national average of 14% of 16-year-olds on free school meals.
	The 2011 evaluation showed that around 28% of participants were non-white, compared to 18% of the general population. 12% of participants declared that they were black, 11% Asian, and 5% mixed. 2% of participants were not of the aforementioned groups, or did not declare their ethnicity.
	Data pertaining to areas of NCS participation in relation to the index of multiple deprivation are not held by the Cabinet Office.

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants from the Cabinet Office are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office does not have any staff on secondment to the four largest accountancy firms.

TRANSPORT

Air Accidents Investigation Branch

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the working of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The AAIB has only received representations from the hon. Member about the workings of the AAIB. No further representations have been received.

Airports

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to increase the use of airports outside south east England.

Simon Burns: The Government recognises the important role that airports across the UK play in providing domestic and international connections and the vital contribution they can make to the growth of regional economies. Airports outside the south-east of England also have an important role in helping to accommodate wider forecast growth in demand for aviation in the UK, which could help take some pressure off London's main airports.
	The Aviation Policy Framework, published on 22 March 2013, supports making the best use airports outside the south-east of England, subject to the appropriate management of local environmental impacts. We will continue to work with the aviation industry and other stakeholders to support airports outside the south-east, including seeking to encourage hew routes and improving airport surface access provision. The Government has also established the independent Airports Commission to assess how the UK should maintain its position as Europe's most important aviation hub. The Commission's remit from Government requires it to maintain a UK-wide perspective, taking appropriate account of the national, regional and local implications of any proposals.

Aviation: Noise

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking alongside the aviation industry to develop a comprehensive nationwide approach to noise compensation.

Simon Burns: The Government issued its Aviation Policy Framework (APF) in March 2013, which sets out its high level strategy for aviation. The APF includes a chapter on noise and other local environmental impacts, which contains policy on noise insulation and compensation.

Bus Services: Concessions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the future costs to travel concession authorities of reimbursement to bus operators under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme in each of the next five years.

Norman Baker: The estimated future costs to Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) for reimbursement to bus operators for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) for older and disabled people are:
	
		
			 Estimated expenditure by TCAs on the ENCTS only for the next 5 years 
			 (£ millions at current prices) 
			  Low High 
			 2013-14 761 926 
			 2014-15 757 951 
			 2015-16 755 983 
			 2016-17 753 1,016 
			 2017-18 753 1,057 
		
	
	The figures are derived from two Impact Assessments published in 2010:
	(1) The Impact Assessment included in the Explanatory Memorandum to Travel Concessions (Eligibility) (England) Order 2010 No. 459, which estimated the impact of increasing the age of eligibility for the Scheme
	(2) Impact Assessment No. D1T00023, which estimated the impact of revising the Department's Reimbursement Guidance.
	The figures do not estimate future TCA spend on enhancements to the statutory scheme for older and disabled people, which TCAs can offer at their discretion and will also require reimbursement to be paid to bus operators.

Bus Services: Fares

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure that operators of registered bus services should be required under their licensing conditions to supply the relevant local transport authorities with full details of the fares applicable to each service to enable those authorities to publicise comprehensive information on services and fares.

Norman Baker: The Government has no plans to use the licensing regime to require bus operators to supply local transport authorities with full details of the fares applicable on each service. However, I am encouraging operators and local authorities to work together in partnership and to exchange information about fares and services as part of this process. It is in the interest of both parties that this should happen.

Bus Services: Young People

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) the bus industry and (b) his ministerial colleagues on how to provide young people with more consistent and affordable bus fares.

Norman Baker: Improving local transport for young people is key to unlocking access to education, training and employment, and I continue to work with the bus industry and other key stakeholders to promote positive change.
	In the past year I have met with the industry on a number of occasions, including at January's Bus Partnership Forum, where I encouraged bus operators to improve their offer to young people. I have also met with the Minister for Education and colleagues in the Cabinet Office to highlight the importance of the issue.

Bus Services: Young People

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made in its efforts to encourage the bus industry to offer travel discounts to all people aged 18 and under.

Norman Baker: Affordable and accessible transport is important for enabling young people to make progress in education, training and employment. I have challenged the bus industry to improve their offer to young people, and I am pleased that progress is already being made.
	Over 90% of the bus industry is now represented on the BUSFORUS web portal, and upcoming developments will bring together fares information with real-time data, providing a significant step-change in the accessibility of travel information aimed at young people.
	By working in partnership local authorities and bus operators hold the key to unlock access to local transport for young people, and I remain committed to working with the industry to improve things further.

Bus Services: Young People

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce concessionary bus travel for 16 to 24 year-olds not in employment, education or training.

Norman Baker: Improving the local transport offer for young people, unlocking their access to education, training and employment, is a key priority. I am supportive of the new industry led web portal, BusforUs, which aims to improve access to bus information for young people, and welcome bus operator initiatives to help job-seekers find work. In March, for example, Stagecoach launched "Back on Board", the UK's first long-term nationwide discounted bus travel scheme for jobseekers—providing a 50 percent discount on single and return fares. I would welcome more of such initiatives from the industry.
	The Government currently has no immediate plans to legislate for a young person's concession.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport according to what criteria in relation to distance from the track a school was deemed to be subject to planning blight and in need of special assistance during the process of planning for and construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail link.

Simon Burns: There was no specific distance criteria used for a school regarding planning blight under the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) scheme. For the CTRL scheme route published in 1993, and approved by Government and safeguarded in 1994, properties located inside the safeguarded areas were ones where land take was needed for construction purposes, including any mitigation works. Properties outside the CTRL safeguarded area were not needed to be acquired. The mitigation works built into the construction of CTRL enabled their present uses to continue. Schools were considered as sensitive receptors in the Environmental Statement and mitigation was identified to address any significant effects.

Cycleways

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to vary the degree of separation between cycle lanes and motor vehicle lanes according to the speed limit applied in an area.

Stephen Hammond: Local highway authorities are responsible for the design of their networks, including cycle facilities such as cycle lanes and crossings. The Department provides comprehensive good practice guidance on road design to help them in this, for example, in “Local Transport Note 2/08; Cycle infrastructure Design”.

Directly Operated Railways

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what other wholly owned subsidiaries have been established by Directly Operated Railways in addition to GW Railway Ltd.

Simon Burns: Directly Operated Railways currently owns four subsidiary companies.
	All of these companies were incorporated on 7 February 2003 by the Strategic Rail Authority under different names. They were subsequently transferred to the Department following the abolition of the SRA in 2006. They were transferred from the Department to DOR on the dates shown. The names in brackets indicate the name of the company when it was transferred from the Department to DOR.
	East Coast Main Line Company Ltd—13 July 2009 (Abbey Rail Ltd)
	West Coast Main Line Company Ltd—26 September 2012 (Broadway Rail Ltd)
	Essex Thameside Ltd—14 February2013—(Orchard Rail Ltd)
	GW Railway Ltd—4 June 2013—(Strutton Rail Ltd).
	The companies exist as part of the contingency arrangements that the Department has in place to ensure that the Secretary of State can fulfil his obligations as Operator of Last Resort under section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.
	Apart from ECML Co Ltd none of them are operational at present.

Driving: Licensing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider introducing a phased reduction in driving licence fees for drivers in the years immediately prior to their 70th birthday.

Stephen Hammond: The fee structure for driving licences is kept under constant review, with all changes to statutory fees subject to public consultation. There are no plans to introduce a charging system using an age-based sliding scale. Previous consultations on fee strategy have not shown any demand for such a scheme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what working assumptions his Department has used on the level of expected financial contribution from local authorities on the proposed route of High Speed 2;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the extra costs to be borne by local authorities along the proposed High Speed 2 route; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: It is our expectation that, due to the scale and nature of the project, High Speed 2 will be largely funded by central Government. However, where there are parties who would benefit directly from the opportunities and the development that HS2 would generate—including local authorities—it is fair and right that they consider supporting the project financially.
	The Department has no specific figure in mind for the level of financial contribution from local authorities to support High Speed 2. In specific regard to Manchester Airport station, we have made clear that our support for adding this to the scheme is dependent on a significant local funding contribution.

Network Rail

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the distribution of spending in Network Rail control periods (a) three and (b) four between (i) regional rail, (ii) long distance rail services and (iii) rail services in London and the South East.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has made no such assessment. Network Rail advises that it does not break down its sub-Great Britain expenditure information according to passenger service sectors, as its costs align to geographical regions rather than to types of train service.

Railways: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reasons Network Rail have given (a) him and (b) officials in his Department for their refusal of the application from Virgin Trains to provide direct train services between Blackpool and London.

Simon Burns: Network Rail has said that the introduction of the new direct London Euston to Blackpool North service would have a detrimental impact on performance on current services operating on the west coast main line route.

Railways: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations (a) he and (b) officials in his Department made to Network Rail prior to its refusal of Virgin Trains’ proposal to provide a new direct line service between Blackpool and London.

Simon Burns: Members of the Virgin Trains team have been in regular contact with Network Rail with regard to introduction of proposed new service to Blackpool North. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), called Sir David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail to understand Network Rail’s position on their decision not to offer the timetable slots for the proposed new service to Blackpool North which was planned to commence in the December 2013 timetable. I understand Virgin Trains plan to appeal against Network Rail’s decision to the Office of Rail Regulation which is the independent decision maker for these matters.

Railways: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions officials in his Department held with Network Rail about Virgin Trains' proposal to provide a direct train line service between Blackpool and London prior to the refusal of that application.

Simon Burns: Members of the Virgin Trains team have been in regular contact with Network Rail with regard to introduction of proposed new direct London Euston service to Blackpool North. Officials in DFT were informed by a member of the Network Rail team of the date that Virgin Trains were to be advised of the outcome of their application for additional rights to operate the additional services to Blackpool North. Virgin Trains subsequently advised of Network Rail's refusal to offer the timetable slots to allow the proposed service to commence in December 2013.

Railways: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what modelling his Department produced in assessing Virgin Trains' proposals to operate direct rail services between London Euston and Blackpool North from December 2013.

Simon Burns: Virgin Trains provided details of their estimate for revenue and costs in relation to the proposed Blackpool North service which was planned to commence in December 2013. This was reviewed by DFT officials and independently reviewed.

Railways: Disability

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the number of rail carriages which are currently not compliant with rail vehicle accessibility requirements; and what plans he has to ensure compliance with such requirements by 2020.

Norman Baker: Over 7,600 passenger rail vehicles in public transport service have been built, or fully refurbished, to modern access standards. This is from a national fleet of approximately 17,000 vehicles, and includes 50% of trains.
	Details are available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-rail-vehicles-built-or-refurbished-to-modern-accessibility-standards
	In addition, all older vehicles have received some access improvements over time, even if they do not yet fully meet all the requirements.
	It is for the rail industry to ensure that vehicles are accessible by 2020. Since 2007, the Department has been setting out, for owners and operators, what work remains to be completed, following consultation with our disability advisors.

Railways: Electrification

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role energy network operators will play in carrying out works for future rail electrification; and what the estimated cost will be to those operators.

Simon Burns: Network Rail is a private sector company limited by guarantee. In the first instance, the role of the energy network operators and the efficient costs of future rail electrification are issues for Network Rail to consider as it develops its delivery plan for the period April 2014 to March 2019. Network Rail advises that the role of the energy network operators is to provide secure, economic and reliable power supplies to meet the company's power upgrade programme.

Roads: Accidents

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities in accidents involving young drivers there were in (a) England and (b) Swindon in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The number of fatalities in road traffic accidents involving at least one young driver (aged between 16 and 24) of a motorised vehicle in (a) England and (b) Swindon borough council between 2007 and 2011 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  England Swindon borough council 
			 2007 852 3 
			 2008 657 4 
			 2009 590 2 
			 2010 445 0 
			 2011 437 0

Roads: Accidents

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to reduce casualties of pedestrians and cyclists as a result of road traffic accidents.

Stephen Hammond: Initiatives to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety include 20 mph zones, countdown crossings, Bikeability training, £107 million of additional investment in cycling infrastructure over the last year, including £35 million to tackle dangerous junctions for cyclists.
	The European New Car Assessment Programme is increasing the rate at which collision avoidance technologies are brought to market and autonomous emergency braking systems capable of reacting to pedestrians and cyclists are under development.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  from which funding streams his Department funds highways maintenance expenditure by local authorities;
	(2)  under what criteira his Department allocates available grants to upper tier authorities to fund highways maintenance;
	(3)  whether his Department has reviewed the formula for allocating the road maintenance block grant since 1 January 2010.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport provides funding to local authorities in England (outside London) through the highways maintenance transport capital block grant.
	Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding, allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways. Neither revenue nor capital highways maintenance block funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services that they provide.
	The Department has also funded highways maintenance projects in Portsmouth, Birmingham, Sheffield, Isle of Wight and the London Borough of Hounslow through the Private Finance Initiative. In addition the Department has also funded specific larger maintenance schemes costing more than £5 million from its local major funding programme.
	The Highways Maintenance Capital Block Grant is allocated to highway authorities in England (outside London) using a formula. An explanatory note setting out this is available from the Department for Transport website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-capital-block-funding
	In 2010, the Department for Transport ran a consultation on the integrated transport and highways maintenance local transport capital funding blocks. Following this it was agreed that we would phase out the weighting for road condition from the maintenance formula.
	The Department for Transport is now undertaking a further review of the Highways Maintenance Block Grant formula and the Terms of Reference for this work is available on the Department for Transport's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-capital-block-funding

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) new carriages and (b) cascaded carriages have been bought by (i) Northern Rail, (ii) London Midland, (iii) Transpennine Express and (iv) rail franchises that provide commuter services in London and the south east since 2004.

Simon Burns: As a rule train operating companies (TOCs) do not buy their own rolling stock. The bodies that own the majority of the rolling stock used on Britain's railways are known as rolling stock owning companies (ROSCOs). ROSCOs lease their rolling stock to TOCs.
	The following table lists by TOC the number of:
	New rolling stock ordered since 2004 (based on date of order, not delivery of vehicles);
	Cascaded vehicles since 2007, which coincides with the start of the high level output specification (HLOS 1) interventions.
	
		
			 Franchise Franchise dates New carriages ordered since 2004 Cascaded carriages since 2007 
			 Northern 2004 — 60 
			     
			 Transpennine Express 2004 40 — 
			     
			 London Midland 2007 259 72 
			 Silverlink 2004 to 2007 — — 
			 Central 2004 to 2007 — — 
			     
			 C2C 2004 — — 
			     
			 Greater Anglia 2012 — — 
			 NXEA 2004 to 2012 120 68 
			     
			 SWT 2004 — 108 
			     
			 Southern 2004 262 — 
			     
			 Southeastern 2006 174 — 
			 South Eastern Trains 2004 to 2006 — — 
			     
			 FCC 2006 — 153 
			 Thameslink 2004 to 2006 — — 
			 Great Northern 2004 to 2006 — — 
			     
			 FGW 2004 — 84 
			     
			 Chiltern 2004 8 — 
			     
			 EMT 2007 — 8 
			 Central 2004 to 2007 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Total  863 553 
			 Notes: (1) Figures are based on date of order, not delivery of vehicle. (2) Figures do not include London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL) services. (3) FGW have 369 I.E.P carriages on order for use on Inter City services.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to meet representatives of the Derby Bombardier workforce to discuss the Thameslink and Crossrail rolling stock contracts.

Patrick McLoughlin: I held a meeting last week with the new chairman of Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd, as part of a regular dialogue with the rolling stock manufacturing companies. That dialogue will continue and I will be happy to meet work force representatives at an appropriate point.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has considered alternative options as a result of the time taken to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: The Department expects to announce the award of the Thameslink rolling stock contract shortly and therefore it is not assessing alternative options.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of additional costs to the public purse arising from the fact that financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract was not reached by the scheduled date of spring 2010;
	(2)  what additional costs his Department has incurred as a consequence of the failure to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract by the scheduled date of spring 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department decided to extend the timetable for delivering the overall Thameslink programme by three years from 2015 to 2018 during the 2010 spending review, because the original timetable for delivering the second phase of the infrastructure project was not realistic. The Department announced the preferred bidder for the rolling stock contract on 16 June 2011.
	The Department records the costs of delivering the overall programme in terms of staff costs and support from external advisers. Staff costs are not separately recorded against different components of the programme. The Department does record the total expenditure on external advisers on the rolling stock contract. Within this total cost figure, the Department is not able to distinguish between external adviser costs that would have been incurred irrespective of the date of financial close and costs that might be related to the time taken to reach financial close. Total costs for external advisers up to end September 2011 were provided pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2012, Official Report, column 167W. Costs incurred between October 2011 and March 2013 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Adviser Costs incurred October 2011 to March 2013 (£ million) 
			 Arup 0.8 
			 Freshfields 5.1 
			 PwC 1.7 
			 Interfleet 0 
			 Booz 0.3 
			 Leighfisher 0.1 
			 Willis 0.04 
			 Total 8.04

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the time taken in reaching financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract will be taken into consideration when assessing the bid from Siemens for the Crossrail rolling stock contract.

Stephen Hammond: The Crossrail Rolling Stock and Depot procurement is a live procurement being run by Crossrail Ltd. Once submitted the bids for the contract will be assessed in accordance with the published evaluation criteria, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made on the effect on the franchising process of the time taken to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: The time taken to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract is not expected to alter the franchising process for the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise set out in the Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the rail refranchising programme, which was published on 26 March 2013.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger comfort owing to overcrowding arising from the time taken to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: The Department continues to aim for delivery of the 24 trains per hour service for Thameslink by December 2018, in accordance with the plan announced in 2010. Therefore the time taken to reach financial close is not expected to have any additional effect on passenger comfort.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Siemens has agreed to pay compensation to the Government for the time taken to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: The Department continues to aim for delivery of the 24 trains per hour service for Thameslink by December 2018, in accordance with the plan announced in 2010. Therefore the time taken to reach financial close is not expected to affect the planned delivery of benefits from the Thameslink programme. The Department has not asked any party involved in the Thameslink rolling stock procurement to pay compensation for the time taken to reach financial close.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional costs Siemens has incurred through the time taken to reach financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: This is a commercial matter for Siemens and not the Department.

Traffic Lights

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to promote the use of cycle-specific traffic lights.

Stephen Hammond: Provision of cycling measures, including traffic lights, is for local traffic authorities. The Government is committed to improving cycling safety and has provided extra funding through the Cycling Safety Fund for local authorities to tackle the most dangerous junctions on their networks.
	DFT officials are working closely with Transport for London on a project trialling a range of new measures, including low-level signals for cyclists. We are also working with Cambridgeshire county council, who are trialling the use of cycle filter signals.
	New ideas need to be properly tested to identify any potential problems, and establish what the benefits are likely to be. Subject to the results of the trials, we will consider approving trials at a limited number of sites on public roads.

Transport: Finance

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made an assessment of the economic impact of proposed changes to the allocation formula for the integrated transport block.

Norman Baker: In relation to Integrated Transport block funding the Department does not specify which schemes should be implemented where. That is for local transport authorities to do. The Department cannot therefore make an assessment of the economic impact of proposed changes to the allocation formula.

Transport: Finance

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the value for money implications of proposed changes to the allocation formula for the Integrated Transport Block.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport keeps under review the value for money of the types of schemes which are traditionally funded by integrated transport block funding. It does not, however, specify which schemes should be implemented where or at what cost as it is for local transport authorities to ensure that they achieve value for money in the use of their individual grant allocations.
	The Department cannot therefore make a realistic differentiation, in value for money terms, between the current arrangements and those in the proposed changes. It does however have confidence that integrated transport block as a whole provides high to very high value for money.

Transport: Finance

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding the Government planned to provide to integrated transport authorities and passenger transport executives in the 2010 Spending Review; and how that funding changed as a result of announcements made in each Budget and Autumn Statement since.

Norman Baker: Following the 2010 Spending Review, the Department set out the funding it planned to provide for local transport on the Department's website. Additional monies set out in the subsequent Autumn Statements have also been published on the Department's website. Information relating to local transport funding allocations can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-capital-block-funding
	This does not include funding available via competitive bidding rounds such as the Local Sustainable Transport Fund or Local Authority Major Schemes, nor monies paid to Passenger Transport Executives as part of their status as co-signatories to rail franchises.

Transport: Finance

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made a cumulative assessment of the distributional regional effects of (a) changes to funding formula for significant funding blocks and (b) competitive funding awards.

Norman Baker: Since the 2010 Spending Review no changes have been made to the formula used to distribute integrated transport block funding. The Department has recently consulted on a range of options for changing the formula used to distribute integrated transport block funding. The consultation contained estimated figures (for local transport authorities) for each option, however no specific regional assessment has been made. It should be noted that these estimates were based on current funding levels and datasets that are both likely to change before any new formula is implemented.
	The only change to highways maintenance block funding has been the phasing out of the weighting for road condition. This was removed completely in the 2013/14 allocations.
	The Department has made no assessment of the distributional regional effects for competitive funding awards.

Transport: Finance

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made an assessment of the redistributive effects of the options for changing the formula for the integrated transport block between metropolitan areas and shire counties.

Norman Baker: The Department recently consulted on a range of options for changing the formula used to distribute integrated transport block funding. The consultation contained estimated figures for each option. It should be noted that these were based on current funding levels and datasets that are likely to change before any new formula is implemented.
	The Department is considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

Travel: Concessions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the proportion of the reimbursement costs relating to the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme which are funded from local revenue sources.

Norman Baker: Since April 2011 all funding for the statutory concession has been provided through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant. Travel concession authorities (TCAs) are required to reimburse bus operators so that the operators are “no better and no worse off” as a result of carrying concessionaires, whether this is for the statutory English National Concessionary Travel Scheme or for additional local concessions that TCAs provide at their discretion to enhance their schemes.
	In 2012-13, of the 89 TCAs outside London, 87 offered some form of enhancement to the statutory English National Concessionary Travel Scheme for older and disabled people, 28 TCAs offered concessions to young people and four TCAs offered concessions to unemployed people. Such enhancements are funded from local resources which could include formula grant and council tax receipts.
	The Department for Transport carries out regular surveys of TCAs, and the most recently published information about their spending on concessionary travel is published in Tables BUS0812a and BUS0812b at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus08-concessionary-travel

West Coast Railway Line

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the punctuality and performance on the West Coast Main Line in 2012.

Norman Baker: The Public Performance Measure (PPM) for the long distance sector, which includes the West Coast Main Line, has deteriorated and is worse than its end-of-year target for 2012-13. There is now a real likelihood that Network Rail will not achieve the England and Wales targets for PPM or cancellations and significant lateness that it was funded to deliver at the end of control period 4 (CP4). The Office of Rail Regulation has specified a sliding-scale penalty should the company not achieve its commitments to the long distance passenger sector by the end of March 2014. I am encouraging both Network Rail and Virgin to up their game.

West Coast Railway Line

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines his officials have issued for the basis of growth in additional services on the West Coast Main Line from 2014 to 2016.

Simon Burns: The Department works closely with the rail industry to secure improvements to services on the whole rail network which includes the busy West Coast Main Line. For the period 2014 to 2016 these improvements include the procurement of 80 new train carriages for use by the London Midland and First Transpennine Express franchises which will provide significant additional capacity on the West Coast Main Line and associated railway. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has indicated he would like to see the introduction of the new direct services between London Euston and Blackpool North and Shrewsbury. I hope the rail industry will work together constructively to operate these new services in due course as the services will clearly benefit passengers. I will continue to monitor progress on this matter.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Apprentices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many apprentices are currently employed by his Department; and how many such apprentices are aged (a) under 19, (b) 19 to 25, (c) 26 to 30, (d) 31 to 59 and (e) more than 60 years old.

Mark Hoban: There are currently 208 apprentices employed in DWP. All apprentices are aged between 18 and 24 but, as there is no requirement to capture information in the required format, we are not able to provide a further breakdown without incurring disproportionate cost.

Child Care Vouchers

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects of measures to support working families with the costs of child care announced in Budget 2013 on levels of (a) relative and (b) absolute child poverty.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to question 149975 of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1175W.

Children: Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2013, Official Report, columns 660-1W, on children: maintenance, for what reason, in the circumstances envisaged in the answer, where the parent with care is within the statutory maintenance service due to an abusive non-resident parent having withheld Direct Pay payments of child maintenance in order to control or financially abuse the parent with care, a child maintenance collection fee of four per cent will be levied on the parent with care.

Steve Webb: Parents with care who have been victims of domestic violence will be fast-tracked through the Gateway conversation and will be exempt from the application fee. The very substantial collection fee of 20%, payable by the non-resident parent, if the case moves into the collection service will act as a strong behavioural incentive to pay by Direct Pay. The parent with care in this case will not pay any fees at all for using the Child Maintenance Service.
	Child maintenance cases can last for many years and circumstances can change over that time. So where a case does go into the collection service, it is essential that both parents have an ongoing incentive to move out of it where they no longer need to use it. The collection fees payable by both parents provide this incentive.
	However, we recognise the strength of feeling around the parent with care collection fee, and for that reason, we recently announced that this would be reduced from 7% to just 4%, the lowest we believe this can be while still maintaining a viable incentive. This means the collection fee payable by the non-resident parent will be five times that payable by the parent with care.

Children: Poverty

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will publish the results of the consultation on measuring child poverty.

Esther McVey: The consultation on better measures of child poverty produced a large number of interesting contributions which the Government is continuing to analyse. It remains clear that the current income-based measures of child poverty do not capture the reality of poverty in the UK today.
	The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty, so that we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Housing Benefit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent in housing benefit for residents of (a) houses in multiple occupation, (b) the private rented sector, (c) local authority housing and (d) other social housing in the last year for which figures are available; and what the average cost per person was in each such case in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Webb: Housing benefit expenditure over the last 10 years for the private rented sector, rent rebate (covering local authority housing and temporary accommodation) and registered social landlords is published in the document entitled “Tables showing Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit expenditure by Local Authority from 1996/97 to 2011/12" (specifically, within the table entitled “Table 2: Housing Benefit Expenditure by Region and Tenure”), which can be accessed at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
	Average cost per person of housing benefit since November 2008 is published in the document entitled “Summary Statistics of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claimants” (specifically, within the table entitled “Housing Benefit recipients average weekly award by tenure: November 2008-February 2013”), available at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb
	Average cost per person of housing benefit prior to November 2008 is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/index.php?page=hbctb_arc
	Information on expenditure and average cost per person for residents of houses in multiple occupation is not available.
	Note:
	The breakdown of HB expenditure is based on a combination of statistical data and local authority subsidy returns. 2011/12 expenditure is currently based on initial subsidy returns (final audited returns will be analysed and published later this summer).

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been allocated to each local authority in discretionary housing payment in each of the last five years; and how much has been allocated to each local authority in 2013-14.

Steve Webb: Each year the Department publishes a circular announcing the amount of Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments which has been allocated to each local authority.
	I am arranging for copies of the following circulars to be placed in the library:
	
		
			 Circular Details 
			 HB/CTB S1/2008 2008-09 
			 HB/CTB S1/2009 2009-10 
			 HB/CTB S1/2010 2010-11 
			 HB/CTB S2/2011 2011-12 
			 HB/CTB S4/2012 2012-13 
			 HB S1/2013 2013-14

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was allocated in discretionary housing payments; and what amounts were actually paid out to tenants in each local authority in Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The following table details how much the Department made available to each local authority towards discretionary housing payments in 2012-13, and the actual amount that each authority paid out.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Authority Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments Total discretionary housing payments awarded 
			 Aberdeen 119,715 114,903 
			 Aberdeenshire 45,276 20,602 
			 Angus 56,313 51,703 
			 Argyll and Bute 58,246 49,411 
			 Clackmannanshire 23,661 21,043 
		
	
	
		
			 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 10,582 15,320 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 75,562 76,592 
			 Dundee 114,983 115,076 
			 East Ayrshire 49,849 34,526 
			 East Dunbartonshire 47,046 57,867 
			 East Lothian 53,794 72,209 
			 East Renfrewshire 30,342 30,342 
			 Edinburgh 573,486 411,223 
			 Falkirk 39,087 47,364 
			 Fife 203,361 93,282 
			 Glasgow 1,443,547 1,441,757 
			 Highland 80,994 81,778 
			 Inverclyde 55,072 54,762 
			 Midlothian 48,459 48,459 
			 Moray 18,543 17,518 
			 North Ayrshire 97,947 83,883 
			 North Lanarkshire 163,264 155,011 
			 Orkney 3,042 1,256 
			 Perth and Kinross 43,018 43,017 
			 Renfrewshire 74,462 168,159 
			 Scottish Borders 47,487 43,488 
			 Shetland 721 945 
			 South Ayrshire 153,344 286,197 
			 South Lanarkshire 246,236 245,309 
			 Stirling 64,208 46,398 
			 West Dunbartonshire 67,411 67,401 
			 West Lothian 79,785 81,142

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether adult children who are in the armed forces but who continue to live with parents during periods of leave, will be treated as continuing to live at home for the purposes of applying the size criteria when deployed on operations.

Steve Webb: Adult children who are in the armed forces, and who usually reside with parents will be treated as living at home when deployed on operations, for the purposes of the removal of the spare room subsidy.
	Adult children who are in the armed forces but who usually live in barracks and only live at home during periods of leave are not treated as occupying their parents' home during periods of deployment.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the guidance published to local authorities on 25 March 2013, for the purposes of the spare room subsidy, what constitutes living with parents when applied to adult children who are in the armed forces but who continue to live with parents when not deployed on operations.

Steve Webb: With reference to the guidance published to local authorities on 25 March, adult children who are in the armed forces but whose usual sole residence is with their parents will be treated as living at home, for the purposes of the removal of the spare room subsidy.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Lone Parents

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons figures on lone parents receiving jobseeker’s allowance have not yet been published; and when he expects such figures to be released.

Mark Hoban: On 15 May 2013, statistics on the number of lone parents receiving jobseeker’s allowance was released at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/jsa/lone_parents/index.php?page=jsalp
	Due to a data supply problem, these statistics were not updated on 12 June 2013. The Department is working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue and further updates will be issued at:
	www.gov.uk
	and in the ‘Welfare and Benefits’ community at:
	http://www.statsusernet.org.uk/Home/

Means-tested Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners claimed means-tested benefits in each of the last three years.

Steve Webb: National Statistics estimates of the proportion of pensioners in receipt of income-related benefits can be found in chapter 3, table 3.4 of the Pensioners’ Incomes Series report 2010-11, available on the DWP website at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd6/2010_11/pi_series_1011.pdf

Means-tested Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of pensioners in receipt of the single-tier pension who will claim means-tested benefits.

Steve Webb: Estimates of the interaction between the singe-tier pension and means-tested benefits are presented in the impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill 2013, which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197841/single-tier-ia-april-2013.pdf
	Estimates of the proportion of single-tier pensioners who will be eligible for means-tested benefits are presented in chapter 4, and chapter 7 discusses assumptions on the extent to which those who are eligible will claim benefits.

Pensioners: Poverty

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed single-tier pension on pensioner poverty.

Steve Webb: DWP does not project future pensioner poverty levels and we have not made a specific assessment of the effect that single-tier would have on poverty, but it will deliver a simple flat-rate state pension set above the basic level of means-tested support. Single-tier could help to alleviate poverty for those poor pensioners who would otherwise not have claimed a means-tested top-up.
	Chart 4.1 of the single-tier impact assessment also shows that eligibility for guarantee credit among the single-tier population is projected to fall due to the introduction of single-tier.

Pensions

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the funding of pensions from national insurance revenue following the abolition of contracting out.

Steve Webb: The abolition of contracting out will result in additional national insurance revenue for the Exchequer. However, the abolition of contracting out impacts those working today, not the pensioners of today. If the national insurance revenues were used to fund a more generous state pension this would mean a transfer of resources from the working-age population to the pensioner population, which is not what this reform is seeking to do.
	Around £3.7 billion of the increase in national insurance revenue is from employer national insurance contributions from the public sector and so is in effect a transfer within the public sector. Public sector employers will have to absorb the burden, as is always the case with tax changes. Any spending review in the next Parliament will, of course, take the £3.7 billion cost into account.
	None of the additional employee and private sector employer national insurance contributions will be used for net revenue-raising. The higher employer national insurance contributions will help cover the costs of the Dilnot social care reforms for the duration of the next Parliament. The £1.5 billion public sector employee national insurance contributions revenue will fund the employment allowance as announced in Budget 2013.
	The estimates of the amount of additional national insurance contributions associated with the abolition of contracting out from the point of implementation of the single-tier pension are taken from the Pensions Bill impact assessment: “The single-tier pension: a simple foundation for saving”, which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197841/single-tier-ia-april-2013.pdf

Remploy

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Remploy workers have been made redundant to date; and how many of them have found work.

Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the previous question number 159343, raised by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 421W.

Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of lone parents affected by the benefit cap who are in receipt of income support; what investigation he has made of explaining the apparent discrepancy between the requirement for lone parents to work only when their youngest child reaches five and the requirement for individuals to work in order to avoid the benefit cap regardless of the age of their youngest child; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: We estimate around 26,000 lone parent households to be affected by the benefit cap, of which around 70% are in receipt of income support.
	This figure is consistent with the ad hoc statistics release of the number of households we estimate to be affected by the benefit cap published in April 2013, which can be found here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2013/Ben_Cap_Updated_Estimate.pdf
	The benefit cap does not place any additional conditionality on specific groups to move into work. It is primarily designed to strengthen work incentives and create fairness between those in work and those out of it. Moving into work is one way in which claimants affected by the cap might decide to improve their financial situation. Where work is not a realistic option claimants could respond in a number of different ways including renegotiating rents or moving to more affordable accommodation.

State Retirement Pensions: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the decision to bring forward the date of introduction of the single tier pension.

Steve Webb: Regular contact on social security and pensions matters is maintained between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland at both official and ministerial level.
	I met with the Minister for Social Development for Northern Ireland and officials in April to discuss the single-tier pension reforms and the proposed Pensions Bill.

Unemployment Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to release figures on the number of children in out-of-work benefit households.

Mark Hoban: Subject to suitable quality assurance, DWP statisticians expect to publish the figures on 17 July 2013.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of increasing the first and subsequent child elements of universal credit by (a) five per cent, (b) 10 per cent and (c) 15 per cent on the proportion of (i) children and (ii) working age adults living in households of below 60 per cent of median income.

Mark Hoban: The aim of universal credit is to encourage work. Figures in the most recent Households Below Average Income series show that children in workless families are at greater risk of being in poverty than those in working families.
	(i) If the child elements in universal credit were increased by: (a) 5%, we would expect to see a one percentage point reduction in the proportion of children living in households below 60% of median income; (b) 10%, we would expect to see a 1 percentage point reduction in the proportion of children living in households below 60% of median income; (c) 15%, we would expect to see a two percentage point reduction in the proportion of .children living in households below 60% of median income.
	(ii) If the child elements in universal credit were increased by: (a) 5%, we would expect to see a zero percentage point change in the proportion of working age adults living in households below 60% of median income; (b) 10%, we would expect to see a zero percentage point change in the proportion of working age adults living in households below 60% of median income; (c) 15%, we would expect to see a one percentage point reduction, in the proportion of working age adults living in households below 60% of median income.
	Note that the results have been derived using the Family Resources Survey. Due to sample size issues, results are being rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	These figures do not take account of any anticipated increase in employment as a result of universal credit. It is designed to encourage work, which is the best route out of poverty for most people.
	This analysis is consistent with the impact assessment published in December 2012.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of increasing the earnings disregard for lone parents in universal credit by (a) 10 per cent, (b) 20 per cent and (c) 30 per cent on the proportion of (i) children and (ii) working age adults living in households of below 60 per cent of median income.

Mark Hoban: The aim of universal credit is to encourage work. Figures in the most recent Households Below Average Income series show that children in workless families are at greater risk of being in poverty than those in working families.
	Universal credit will significantly improve the incentives to enter work and progress through the labour market.
	Increasing the universal credit work allowance by (a) 10%, (b) 20% or (c) 30% for lone parents would have a zero percentage point impact on both (i) the proportion of children and (ii) the proportion of working age adults living in households under 60% of median income.
	Note that the results have been derived using the Family Resources Survey. Due to sample size issues, results are being rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	These figures do not take account of any anticipated increase in employment as a result of universal credit. It is designed to encourage work, which is the best route out of poverty for most people.
	This analysis is consistent with the impact assessment published in December 2012.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of a second earner disregard in universal credit set at (a) 30 per cent and (b) 50 per cent of the first earner disregard, on the proportion of (i) children and (ii) working age adults living in households of below 60 per cent of median income.

Mark Hoban: The aim of universal credit is to encourage work. Figures in the most recent Households Below Average Income series show that children in workless families are at greater risk of being in poverty than those in working families.
	Universal credit will significantly improve the incentives to enter work and progress through the labour market.
	Introducing a second earner disregard in universal credit set at (a) 30% and (b) 50% of the work allowance would have a zero percentage point impact on both (i) the proportion of children and (ii) the proportion of working age adults living in households under 60% of median income.
	Note that the results have been derived using the Family Resources Survey. Due to sample size issues, results are being rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	These figures do not take account of any anticipated increase in employment as a result of universal credit. It is designed to encourage work, which is the best route out of poverty for most people.
	This analysis is consistent with the impact assessment published in December 2012.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of increasing the universal credit earnings disregard levels by (a) 10 per cent, (b) 20 per cent and (c) 30 per cent on the proportion of (i) children and (ii) working age adults living in households of below 60 per cent of median income.

Mark Hoban: The aim of universal credit is to encourage work. Figures in the most recent Households Below Average Income series show that children in workless families are at greater risk of being in poverty than those in working families.
	Universal credit will significantly improve the incentives to enter work and progress through the labour market.
	Increasing all universal credit work allowances by (a) 10% would have a zero percentage point impact on both (i) the proportion of children and (ii) the proportion of working age adults living in households under 60% of median income.
	Increasing all universal credit work allowances by (b) 20% or (c) 30% would reduce the proportion of children living in households under 60% of median income by 1 percentage point and have a zero percentage point impact on (ii) the proportion of working age adults living in households under 60% of median income.
	Note that the results have been derived using the Family Resources Survey. Due to sample size issues, results are being rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	These figures do not take account of any anticipated increase in employment as a result of universal credit. It is designed to encourage work, which is the best route out of poverty for most people.
	This analysis is consistent with the impact assessment published in December 2012.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of reducing the taper for universal credit to (a) 60 per cent and (b) 55 per cent on the proportion of (i) children and (ii) working age adults living in households of below 60 per cent of median income.

Mark Hoban: The aim of universal credit is to encourage work. Figures in the most recent Households Below Average Income series show that children in workless families are at greater risk of being in poverty than those in working families.
	Universal credit will significantly improve the incentives to enter work and progress through the labour market. Financial support under universal credit is reduced at a consistent and predictable rate.
	Setting the taper at (a) 60% or (b) 55% would have a zero percentage point impact on both (i) the proportion of children and (ii) the proportion of working age adults living in households under 60% of median income.
	Note that the results have been derived using the Family Resources Survey. Due to sample size issues, results are being rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	These figures do not take account of any anticipated increase in employment as a result of universal credit. It is designed to encourage work, which is the best route out of poverty for most people.
	This analysis is consistent with the impact assessment published in December 2012.

Universal Credit: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when jobcentres in Barnsley will start to accept applications for universal credit.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1052W, to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr Byrne).
	Universal credit will progressively roll-out in a carefully managed and controlled way from October 2013 with all those who are entitled to UC claiming the new benefit by 2017.

Vacancies: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies there are in Barrow and Furness constituency; and how many vacancies there were on the first day of each month in the last five years.

Mark Hoban: Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. The sample size of the survey is, however, too small to allow information to be published below national level.
	Administrative data on the number of unfilled vacancies held locally by Jobcentre Plus was published until the end of last year and can be accessed by following this link:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?mode=construct&version=0&dataset=89
	and selecting the ‘live unfilled’ vacancies variable and the relevant geography and time period. The figures relate to the first or second Friday of each month.
	Any snapshot of unfilled Jobcentre vacancies at a point in time misses the regular turnover of new vacancies that are notified as existing opportunities are filled. It also misses jobs available in the wider labour market, including those outside the local constituency, and those coming up through other recruitment channels or filled by direct approaches to employers or word of mouth.
	Universal Jobmatch has now replaced the previous Jobcentre Plus system of taking vacancies. Information on vacancies reported through the new service is not currently available for parliamentary constituencies. Some information, including notified vacancies at local authority level, is available via a Universal Jobmatch management information tool:
	https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/Reports/Reports.aspx
	DWP is working with Monster Worldwide Limited, the Universal Jobmatch supplier, on a timetable for prioritising and implementing improvements to the available MI, including breakdowns by parliamentary constituency, subject to funding.

Winter Fuel Payments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of winter fuel payments in each (a) region of the UK and (b) parliamentary constituency are (i) higher rate taxpayers and (ii) additional rate taxpayers.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

HEALTH

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on reducing the number of animals used in scientific procedures; what steps he is taking to reduce the number of animals used in such procedures; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has had no discussions on this issue with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).
	The National Institute for Health Research does not fund scientific procedures on animals as it focuses on clinical and health services research.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is involved in a science-led programme of work led by the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to reduce the use of animals in scientific research. The NC3Rs closely involves Government Departments and agencies, the Home Office Inspectorate, the research community in both academia and industry, and others with relevant animal welfare interests.
	Significant developments have been made in the validation of new assays that provide substantial advantages in terms of reduction in animal numbers or alternative procedures that do not rely on animal use. In the meantime, some in vivo procedures will continue to form an essential aspect of ensuring the safety of medicines, but work continues to reduce those requirements by refining the assays while still ensuring the highest possible safety standards for the public and animals.
	Public Health England has provided the following statement:
	“The vast majority of public health research is carried out without using animals. In certain areas, however, such as the development of new vaccines to prevent life threatening conditions including TB, influenza and meningitis, animal research remains, essential if we are to understand and combat infectious diseases.
	“Public Health England only uses animals in its research when there is no alternative and when this is necessary we work within the stringent guidelines laid down by Home Office regulations and are committed to high standards of animal welfare. We maintain a very active 3R (Reduction, Refinement, Replacement) research programme aimed at reducing where possible the need for animals in our research.”

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (a) how much funding his Department allocated to and (b) what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not allocated any funds to the Big Society Network, nor has it held any contracts with this organisation.

Blood: Donors

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the performance of NHS Blood and Transplant in Devon;
	(2)  what proportion of transplant blood used in (a) Devon and (b) across the UK was sourced from abroad in each year since 2008;
	(3)  what recent steps he has taken to ensure that blood donors in Devon have access to local blood donation stations.

Anna Soubry: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), is accountable to the Secretary of State for Health. However, local performance issues are a matter for the NHSBT Board.
	NHSBT advises that it has seen a reduction in the demand for blood across the national health service. Therefore they are making changes in some areas in order to continue to run an efficient service, keep down costs to the NHS and collect the right amount of blood of the right blood type to meet patient needs. As part of this, NHSBT recently announced changes to its blood collection programme in North Devon, which will start in autumn 2013. There will still be donation sessions in the area, they will be less frequent, and for some donors this may involve longer journeys to donate.
	Blood donors in North Devon, and across England and North Wales, are extremely important to NHSBT and it wishes to encourage donors to continue giving, albeit less frequently in some cases. NHSBT has written to all donors affected by its proposed plans in North Devon and will write again shortly with details of new, alternative sessions to enable donors to continue their life saving donations.
	NHSBT is able to meet all hospital demand for blood in England and North Wales from its blood collections. However, to reduce the potential risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) through transfusion, NHSBT imports plasma from countries with low prevalence of vGD for some patient groups. 20,000 units of plasma have been sourced from abroad each year since 2008.

Cancer: Drugs

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how he intends to continue the principle of clinically-led decision-making that has been implemented through the Cancer Drugs Fund once that fund closes in January 2014;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential for regional variations in patients' access to medicines when the current Cancer Drugs Fund arrangements end;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of future demand for medicines currently funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund and which will not be covered by the new value-based pricing scheme from January 2014;
	(4)  when he last had discussions with NHS England about the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Norman Lamb: In the context of developing new pricing arrangements for branded medicines, we are exploring ways in which patients can continue to benefit from innovative cancer drugs at a cost that represents value to the national health service. NHS England is involved in this work.
	NHS England has taken on responsibility for commissioning specialised services, including chemotherapy. Direct commissioning to a national specification should lead to improved consistency in the commissioning of and access to national health service chemotherapy services across England.

Cancer: Scotland

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer sufferers resident in Scotland travel to England to gain treatment using cancer drugs denied to them in Scotland; and whether he has any plans to prevent such cross-border treatment.

Anna Soubry: The Department holds no information on the number of people resident in Scotland who travelled to England to receive drugs for cancer treatment, free of charge, that were not available in Scotland.
	Local commissioners should satisfy themselves that the patients they fund treatment for are eligible to receive that treatment.

Care Homes: Abuse

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authorities in dealing with instances of abuse or neglect of the elderly in residential care.

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not carried out assessments on the effectiveness of local authorities in dealing with instances of abuse or neglect of older people in residential care.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre published the “Abuse of Vulnerable Adults (AVA) Final Data Report 2011-12 (England)”, which found that councils reported a number of changes to staffing, training and recording systems during the reporting year and an increase in public awareness campaigns have resulted in effective reporting of abuse.
	Through the Care Bill, recently introduced into Parliament, we are putting Safeguarding Adults Boards on a stronger, statutory footing, better equipped both to prevent abuse and to respond when it occurs.
	We expect local authorities to ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective and of high quality. We also expect those providing the service, local authorities and the Care Quality Commission to take swift action where anyone alleges poor care, neglect or abuse.
	The Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care will work with local authorities as the commissioners of care and support. The Local Government Association, along with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Social Care Institute for Excellence and the NHS Confederation, has developed a peer challenge process. This aims to assess the effectiveness of local authorities’ safeguarding adults arrangements and identify any areas for improvements. Local authorities' involvement in the Safeguarding Adults Peer Challenge is on a voluntary basis.

Carers

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of the UK's gross domestic product of people giving up work to care for older people in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: This information is not available centrally.
	However, the Department funded the National Institute for Health Research School for Social Care Research to undertake a longitudinal analysis of unpaid care and employment in England. Initial results from a scoping study undertaken by the London School of Economics and Political Science found that the estimated public expenditure costs of carers leaving employment is around £1.3 billion a year. Further results will be available next year.

Dental Services

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role local representative committees are to have in shaping primary care dentistry services.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has formally recognised local dental committees. As local representative groups for dentists they have an important role to play in engaging with area teams and with the dental local professional networks in developing NHS dental services.

Dental Services: Greater London

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people using out-of-hours dental care in London in the last year.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has advised the Department that approximately 113,500 patients accessed out-of-hours dental services in London during 2012-13.

Dental Services: Greater London

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of out-of-hours dental care in (a) Ealing borough and (b) London.

Daniel Poulter: This is a matter for NHS England. We understand that its London region is the commissioner of the out-of-hours (OOH) dental care service in London. OOH dental care in Ealing is provided as part of a joint service covering eight boroughs in north-west London. Calls are forwarded to a dental nurse triage service, which is available from 6 pm to 10 pm on Monday to Friday and from 9 am to 10 pm at weekends and on bank holidays.
	OOH dental services elsewhere in the capital are provided via call handling, triage and appointments through a variety of different providers.
	NHS England is currently reviewing the OOH dental care system in London to ensure that capacity is sufficient to meet demand for the service.

Dental Services: West Midlands

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what input general dental practitioners in the local area team in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull will have into clinician-led commissioning using additional funding;
	(2)  what change in the number of units of dental activity will be needed to achieve the improved access requirements for the local area team in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull for 2006 to 2016;
	(3)  what the net funding allocation to general dental service contracts for the local area team in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16;
	(4)  how many net units of dental activity are required from the local area team in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16;
	(5)  what change in the budget for dental services has been allocated to meet the access targets for the local area team in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the likely additional funding arising from NHS efficiency savings to be allocated to the local area team in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not held centrally by the Department. Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning dental services, including primary, secondary, community, out of hours and urgent care. This includes commissioning dental services provided in high street dental practices, community dental services, and dental services at general hospitals and dental hospitals.
	NHS England will commission NHS dental services under a single operating model, based on the local oral health needs assessment, which will be developed by public health teams in local authorities and will help determine the needs of local populations.
	NHS England published “Securing excellence In commissioning NHS dental services” in February 2013, which sets out the national operating model for dental commissioning.
	A copy of this document has been placed in the Library.

Disability Aids: Communication

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who require augmentative and alternative communication aids;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the commissioning arrangements for augmentative and alternative communication aids;
	(3)  what resources he plans to make available to support the diagnosis and care of people who require augmentative and alternative communication aids.

Norman Lamb: NHS England is responsible for the direct commissioning of specialised assessment and provision of augmentative and assistive communication aids (AAC) for adults, children and young people. Services which do not fall within the definition of specialised AAC are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups.
	Given significant historic variation in the commissioning of specialised communication aids in England in the past and equity in access, a key priority is to ensure that commissioning arrangements for this specialised service are placed on a much more robust and equitable footing across England.
	We are advised that NHS England Clinical Reference Groups and Area Teams are working to identify areas where there may be inequities and where additional resources may be required to bring about better access to services. NHS England will prioritise areas that require investment but this will need to be considered within the context of its fixed budget.

Food: Hygiene

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of food poisoning occurring as a result of poor hygiene in businesses serving food and drink.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency, which has policy responsibility for food safety, advises that although cost to the national health service of microbiological food borne disease in England and Wales has been estimated, it is not possible to reliably determine the proportion of this cost that can be attributed to poor hygiene in businesses serving food and drink.
	The overall estimated burden of food borne disease in England and Wales in 2011, which is the most recent estimate available, was £1,564 million. This comprised £31 million of costs to the NHS, £136 million from loss of earnings and other direct costs, and £1,397 million in pain and suffering.

Food: Hygiene

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the costs to businesses of making the display of Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings compulsory in England;
	(2)  what representations he has received on making the display of Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings compulsory in England;
	(3)  what proportion of businesses assessed by the Food Standard's Agency's hygiene rating scheme have chosen to display their rating.

Anna Soubry: The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a Food Standards Agency (FSA)/local authority partnership initiative for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Businesses included in the scheme are given a sticker and certificate showing their rating and encouraged to display these at their premises.
	A number of representations for making display at premises compulsory in England have been made by individuals. The consumer body, Which?, has also called for this and independently-conducted research commissioned by the FSA indicates strong consumer and local authority support.
	Compulsory display would require new legislation and a full assessment of the costs of introducing this in England have not been undertaken at this stage. Instead, the FSA's focus is on working with businesses to encourage greater voluntarily display. The FSA is also delivering a communications strategy to promote the scheme more widely so that consumers more routinely, search for ratings online and look for them at premises and draw their own conclusions where they do not see a rating on display.
	The FSA is monitoring the proportion of businesses voluntarily displaying their rating. The findings show an increase from 2011-12 to 2012-13, mainly as a result of more businesses with a rating of 4 (good) or 5 (very good) displaying these.
	
		
			  Percentage businesses with a rating displaying at premises 
			  England Northern Ireland Wales 
			 Rating 2011-12 2012-13 2011-12 2012/13 2011-12 2012-13 
			 All ratings 43 52 50 57 31 47 
			 4, 5 56 64 57 67 52 66 
			 3 26 28 33 25 21 22 
			 0, 1, 2 12 10 22 13 6 17

Fractures

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities offer access to fracture liaison services linked to every hospital in a local area involved in the care of people with fragility fractures; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The information on fracture liaison services linked to every hospital is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England. Local commissioners are primarily responsible for determining what steps are needed to improve the health and care of people with fragility fractures.
	The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents published on 13 June 2013 an on-line handbook ‘Delivering Accident Prevention at a local level in the new public health’ system funded by the Department and supported by Public health England.
	It aims to assist local authorities and local commissioners with information to improve injury prevention including strategies and services to reduce falls and the risk of accidental injury.

General Practitioners: Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department issues guidance on whether a GP should inform his or her patients if he or she moves to a different practice.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not issue guidance on this. General practitioners are independent contractors who work under contracts with NHS England to provide NHS services.

Health

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the data gathered under indicator 4.12 of Part 1B of the Public Health Outcomes Framework 2013-16 Appendices, broken down by (a) local authority, (b) age, (c) disability, (d) ethnicity, (e) gender and (f) socio-economic group; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The data for 2010-11 gathered under indicator 4.12 of Part IB of the Public Health Outcomes Framework 2013-16 Appendices (Preventable sight loss) were published in November 2012 broken down by local authority. They are available to search at:
	www.phoutcomes.info/public-health-outcomes-framework#gid/1000044/par/E12000004
	The data for this indicator have not been published by disability, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic group.
	The sub-indicators for indicator 4.12 refer to different age groups appropriate to the cause of the sight loss. For age-related macular degeneration this is aged 65 and over, for glaucoma aged 40 and over and for diabetic eye disease age 12 and over. No further breakdown by age was published.
	Currently data on ethnicity, disability and socio-economic group are not collected for this indicator. The Department will consider publishing further data for this indicator broken down by age and gender subject to patient confidentiality restrictions and availability of funding.

Health and Wellbeing Boards

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for each Health and Wellbeing Board in England is.

Norman Lamb: Health and wellbeing boards are statutory committees of English local authorities. While health and wellbeing boards have no statutory responsibility for holding commissioning budgets, local areas are able to delegate to a health and wellbeing board if they so wish. The boards are however under a duty to encourage integrated working between commissioners of services across health, social care, public health and children's services. Health and wellbeing boards are encouraged to explore how the mechanisms for integration included in the NHS Act 2006, such as pooled budgets or lead commissioning arrangements, can be used to provide more integrated commissioning across health and social care.

Health Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to introduce a new out of hospital care test to include a requirement that proposals that include the closure of accident and emergency departments also include the publication of an independently evaluated, costed plan for investing in enhanced primary care, community health and social care before proceeding to consultation with the public and other interested parties; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The reconfiguration of local national health service services is a matter to be determined by the NHS.
	Any changes must be supported by this Government’s four tests for service change, namely:
	support from clinical commissioners;
	clarity on the clinical evidence base;
	robust patient and public engagement; and
	support for patient choice.
	As such, we would expect any local plans for changes to acute services to take full account of the impact on surrounding primary, community and social care provision.

Health: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce health inequalities in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Tackling health inequalities is a Government priority. We are committed to reducing inequalities by tackling the differences in access to, and outcomes of, national health service treatment; and by addressing the wider, social causes of ill health and early death.
	Within a broad strategy to tackle health inequalities across the country, we are addressing the needs of the most vulnerable people through the Inclusion Health programme, which is focusing on improving access and outcomes for vulnerable groups.
	Peterborough’s Health and Wellbeing Board has been established as part of the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act (2012) to bring key organisations together to improve the health and well being of its local population. Peterborough’s strategy specifically addresses health inequalities.
	Public Health England is working in close support of the local authority and its partners to meet local objectives.

Health: Screening

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on increasing the uptake of NHS health checks.

Anna Soubry: During 2012-13, 2.57 million offers were made and 1.26 million NHS Health Check appointments were received: an uptake of 49%. Since the national programme is in its second year of implementation following a phased roll out, uptake levels are promising.
	Increasing uptake and onward referral for the NHS Health Check programme is a priority for local government, Public Health England and NHS England. Public Health England are leading an implementation review and action plan of the programme and working with multiple partners, including NHS England and local authorities to implement action that will increase uptake.

Heart Diseases: Children

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the difference between the audited number of cases for each children's heart surgery centre produced by the Central Cardiac Audit Database in 2009-10 and 2010-11 and used in the decision-making business case for the safe and sustainable review of children's congenital heart services, and those numbers published by the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research in April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: On 12 June 2013, Official Report, columns 343-44, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), delivered a statement to the House which confirmed the suspension of implementing the proposals of the Safe and Sustainable review of children's congenital heart services.
	Having commissioned a full review from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, the Secretary of State for Health agreed with the panel's conclusion that the proposals of the Safe and Sustainable review cannot go ahead in their current form.
	As part of his statement, the Secretary of State asked NHS England to move forward on the basis of the panel's recommendations, and the recent court judgment in favour of Save Our Surgery Ltd.
	NHS England is currently working up a detailed plan on all aspects of the process, including the use of data, and will give an interim report on progress to the Secretary of State by the end of July 2013. We will keep the House updated.

Heart Diseases: Children

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the ethical standards applied in the safe and sustainable review of children's congenital heart services.

Anna Soubry: On 12 June 2013, Official Report, columns 343-44, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), delivered a statement to the House which confirmed the suspension of implementing the proposals of the Safe and Sustainable review of children's congenital heart services.
	Having commissioned a full review from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, the Secretary of State for Health agreed with the Panel's conclusion that the proposals of the Safe and Sustainable review cannot go ahead in their current form.
	As part of his statement, the Secretary of State for Health asked NHS England to move forward on the basis of the Panel's recommendations, and the recent court judgment in favour of Save Our Surgery Limited.
	NHS England is currently working up a detailed plan on all aspects of the process, including the ethical standards, and will give an interim report of progress to the Secretary of State for Health by the end of July 2013. We will keep the House updated.

Herbal Medicine: Regulation

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made towards developing a framework for statutory regulation of herbalists.

Daniel Poulter: The legislation around this policy is complex and there are a number of issues that have arisen which we need to work through. We appreciate that the delay in going out to consult on this matter is causing concern; however, the Department will make an announcement on the progress of this policy once the issues have been resolved.

Maternity Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals have submitted a notification of intention to practise as a midwife in each of the last five practice years.

Daniel Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council collects data on the notifications of intentions to practise as a midwife. The following table shows the number of individuals that have submitted a notification of intention to practise as a midwife in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Year (1 April) Number of intentions to practise 
			 2013 37,359 
			 2012 37,115 
			 2011 35,919 
			 2010 34,630 
			 2009 33,699 
			 Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Maternity Services: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Government regarding plans to relocate neo-natal care services into England.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not had any recent discussion with the Welsh Government regarding plans to relocate neonatal care services into England. We understand discussions have taken place with the national health service at a local level.

Medical Records: Disability

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on measures to ensure that patients with disabilities receive personal information from GPs and hospitals in a format that is accessible to them;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with (a) individuals and (b) organisations on making personal information from GPs and hospitals accessible to patients with disabilities.

Norman Lamb: The Equality Act 2010 requires national health service bodies, and those carrying out public functions on their behalf, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people which may include providing information in alternative formats. This statutory duty aims to ensure that a disabled person can use a service as close as reasonably possible to the standard usually offered to non-disabled people. NHS bodies must think in advance and on an on-going basis about what disabled people with a range of impairments that use their services might reasonably need.
	The Department has received representations from both voluntary and community organisations and individuals about the performance of local NHS bodies in making reasonable adjustments for their service users. Most recently, the Department has agreed to explore with its partners what more can be done to accommodate the communication needs of disabled service users. Subsequently, NHS England has agreed to develop and implement a new statutory information standard that should help ensure that patients' communication preferences are recorded and adhered to more consistently.
	The Department is currently in discussions with its partners about publishing further guidance on making reasonable adjustments in health care settings with a view to make a decision before the end of July. Two reminders about reasonable adjustments for disabled service users were also issued to NHS bodies through the Department's regular bulletins in 2012.

Mitochondrial DNA Disease

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority public consultation on preventing mitochondrial DNA disease; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: We are currently considering the advice that we received on 28 March 2013 from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and will respond in due course.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment (a) his Department and (b) Public Health England have made of the effect on public health of musculoskeletal conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: We are aware of the wide prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and their impact on an individual's quality of life. Local commissioners are primarily responsible for determining what steps are needed to improve the health of people with MSK conditions.
	NHS England is responsible for work on MSK conditions. It appointed the first National Clinical Director for MSK conditions, Professor Peter Kay.
	The Department's Mandate to the national health service set an objective to improve the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, such as MSK conditions. The NHS Outcomes Framework contains the indicators that are used to hold NHS England to account for making progress.
	The Public Health Outcomes Framework sets out the desired outcomes for public health and how these will be measured. Domain 2, 'Health Improvement' contains the indicator, 'Injuries due to falls in people aged 65 and over', and Domain 4, 'Healthcare, Public Health and Preventing Premature Mortality', contains the indicator, 'Hip fracture in people aged 65 and over'. Both of these indicators are relevant to people with MSK conditions, such as osteoarthritis.
	Public Health England (PHE) is actively engaged in exploring ways in which the new public health system can support older people with long-term conditions and disabilities to maximise their health and wellbeing. PHE is working with NHS England and UCL Partners to develop a major conference in early October on this topic.

NHS 111

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse will be of running the NHS 111 service in (a) England, (b) Kent and (c) Swale borough in 2013-14.

Anna Soubry: Information on the cost of running NHS 111 in England is not held centrally by either NHS England or the Department. NHS 111 is a locally commissioned service and the cost of running it during 2013-14 will depend on a number of factors such as call volume and roll-out dates in different parts of the country. Costs are reimbursed to providers on a price per call basis, so the final costs will depend on the number of calls received over the course of 2013-14.
	NHS 111 services for Kent are provided as part of a wider contract which includes Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The 111 service has one overall host clinical commissioning group (CCG) lead, which sits with the Swale CCG and is supported by a project and contract team purchased via the Kent and Medway Commissioning Support Service.
	The contract value of the NHS 111 services across Kent, Surrey and Sussex for the three years of the initial contract term is £28.6 million. Information on the exact proportion of that money to be spent in Kent or Swale is not available. There are costs locally associated with the set up and commissioning of the service, as well as ongoing project support costs. These costs are shared with other contracts from within the CCG commissioning budgets for each area, and are therefore not directly quantifiable.

NHS: Complaints

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS complaints procedure is transparent and fit for purpose.

Daniel Poulter: In response to the public inquiry chaired by Sir Robert Francis into incidents at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, the Prime Minister announced to Parliament in February that an independent review of national heath service complaints handling in hospitals would be undertaken. This review will be co-chaired by the right hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) and Professor Tricia Hart, chief executive of South Tees NHS Foundation Trust.
	The review will consider how the issues raised about NHS care by individual patients, their carers, representatives and stakeholders are listened to and acted upon. It will also identify existing best practice for handling of NHS complaints, and make recommendations for a set of common standards by which all NHS hospitals will be assessed and held to account.
	The review is due to report by summer recess.

NHS: Energy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential for greater energy efficiency in the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: National health service organisations are responsible for the procurement of their facilities, including addressing energy efficiency and sustainability matters. Overall, the NHS is becoming more sustainable and is informed by its Sustainable Development Unit at:
	www.sdu.nhs.uk
	on the potential to be more efficient. Improved energy efficiency and more sustainable practices have resulted in the NHS in England’s carbon emissions per area (kilogrammes of carbon per square metre) reducing by 14% between 1999 to 2000 and 2010-11. This is during a period when the size (area) of the NHS has increased by 23%.
	The Department is committed to supporting the NHS to meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act and has launched in January 2013 a £50 million energy efficiency fund to enable the NHS to go further, faster. Details can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/call-for-expressions-of-interest-for-funding-to-improve-energy-efficiency-in-the-nhs

NHS: Finance

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for York Central of 11 June 2013, if he will place in the Library a table showing (a) the cash allocation for 2013-14 for each care community group (CCG) in England and (b) the figures provided to his advisory panel on NHS funding which illustrated how much each CCG would have received for 2013-14 if the money had been distributed according to the NHS funding formula used in previous years to determine the level of funding for each primary care trust.

Daniel Poulter: We have been advised by NHS England that:
	(a) The cash allocations for 2013-14 for each clinical commissioning group (CCG) in England are available on the NHS England website:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ccg-allocations-13-141.pdf
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	(b) There are no figures provided by the Advisory Panel which illustrate how much each CCG would have received for 2013-14 if the money had been distributed according to the NHS funding formula used in previous years.

NHS: Pay

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in the NHS earn less then the national living wage.

Daniel Poulter: The Department estimates that there are around 17,500 out of 1.2 million Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) staff earning less than the national living wage.
	These estimates are based on unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse. These estimates apply to HCHS staff only. There may be some general practitioner or dental practice staff earning below the living wage.
	Information provided by the ESR Data Warehouse is a monthly snapshot of the live ESR system. ESR is the human resources and payroll system used by most national health service employers.

NHS: Staff

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the average cost to the NHS of employing a (a) nurse, (b) midwife and (c) doctor; and what forecast he has made of the equivalent cost in each year from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

Daniel Poulter: Validated data on the historical average pay bill cost per full-time equivalent (FTE) member of staff is not available, but estimates can be produced using information from the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse(1). The latest available estimates relate to 2011-12.
	In 2011-12 the average annual pay bill per full-time equivalent member of staff, for Hospital and Community Health Services in England, was estimated at around £95,300 for doctors, around £41,700 for qualified nurses, and around £46,000 for qualified midwives.
	This includes all earnings, employer national insurance contributions and employer pension contributions.
	Considerable uncertainties surround future staff cost estimates. The reasons for this include: the future level of headline basic pay awards as informed by the independent pay review body process; the outcome of future spending reviews; the results of NHS pension scheme revaluations and the associated impact on employer pension costs; the impact of future changes to employer national insurance rates and thresholds; the employment decisions of local employers and the impact on the skill experience, and cost mix, of their work forces; future patterns in attrition and retirement, which may be easier to anticipate at local level; the impact of the upcoming introduction of locally managed conditional progression for Agenda for Change staff; and the impact on earnings beyond basic pay, of local decisions and pressures, around factors such as the use of overtime and other additional payments.
	As such, the Department does not produce central pay bill per FTE forecasts. Financial planning by the Department considers potential costs under many potential scenarios to assess affordability prospects and risks and to assess decision making. This is an ongoing process with frequent updates to reflect newly available information or to consider the impact of a changed planning assumption. The outcomes under each scenario are not definitive, they reflect only the planning assumptions specific to that scenario, and do not constitute a reliable best forecast—particularly for several years into the future.
	(1) The ESR Data Warehouse is a monthly snap shot of the live ESR system. This is the human resources and payroll system that covers all NHS employees (other than those working in general practice, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and some NHS staff who have transferred to local authorities, social enterprises, etc.). ESR was fully rolled out across the NHS in April.

NHS: Training

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility NHS England has to assess the quality of clinical training; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: This is not a matter for NHS England.
	The Government has established Health Education England to work towards providing national leadership and strategic direction for high quality education, training and workforce development in the national health service. A key requirement of the Government's mandate to Health Education England is to ensure the development of an NHS workforce with the right behaviours, values and skills to deliver quality patient care and be responsive to the diverse and changing needs of patients and the public.
	Health Education England's mandate is aligned with and reflective of the Government's mandate for NHS England. It recognises the Francis Report recommendations, reflects the increasing importance of public health and will require Health Education England to take into account the development of the Public Health England strategy and the Secretary of State's four priorities on preventable mortality; long-term conditions; ‘being caring’ and dementia.
	Along with relevant professional bodies, Health Education England will work to assure the quality of clinical training programmes.

Nurses: Training

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to monitor the effect on nurse training of the inclusion of care quality improvement projects.

Daniel Poulter: Innovations through projects that improve the quality of care are important to the national health service. Although they are not monitored by the Department, universities regularly review their curricula in collaboration with NHS leaders and within the Nursing and Midwifery Council framework to ensure they respond and adapt to service demands and delivery models. In the reformed NHS, Academic Health Science Networks and Health Education England will play important parts in this.

Obesity

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of access to and availability of weight management services funded from the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: No assessment has been made centrally of publically funded weight management services. Local authorities are now responsible for commissioning weight management services. To help with this role, we have given them a ring-fenced budget of £5.4 billion over two years to help tackle public health issues such as obesity. We have also published best practice guidance to help improve the commissioning of weight management services: Developing a specification for lifestyle weight management services. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Obesity: Arthritis

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential relationship between osteoarthritis and obesity; what steps his Department is taking to encourage the appropriate level of physical activity for people with osteoarthritis; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Obesity is a strong risk factor for the development of knee osteoarthritis. The mechanism linking the two is complex, involving both biomechanical (due to increased strain on the joints) and metabolic factors. Prolonged elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) throughout adulthood carries a high risk of knee osteoarthritis. Obese people are almost four times more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis than those with a BMI below 25 kg/m2. There is less evidence on the relationship between obesity and hip or hand osteoarthritis.
	The UK chief medical officers provided guidelines on the levels of physical activity required for general health benefits across the life-course in 2011 as part of their report Start Active, Stay Active. These guidelines remain relevant for people with osteoarthritis, however patients should select activities that are low impact, not painful, and do not have a high risk of joint injury.
	In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Clinical Guidance 59 on Osteoarthritis recommends that exercise should be a core treatment irrespective of age, co-morbidity, pain severity and disability.
	Arthritis Research UK has pledged through the Public Health Responsibility Deal to communicate and promote the UK physical activity guidelines.

Physiotherapy

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have received physiotherapy treatment for sports-related injuries in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what level of funding has been allocated for physiotherapy in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for local clinical commissioning groups to determine how best to use funding to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of physiotherapy services.

Primary Care Trusts: Merseyside

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the underspend was for each Merseyside primary care trust in each of the last five financial years;
	(2)  what guidance his Department issued to primary care trusts in Merseyside on dealing with underspends before their dissolution;
	(3)  whether each Merseyside primary care trust provided reasons to his Department for their return of underspent funds for 2011-12.

Daniel Poulter: The underspends in the financial years 2008-09 to 2011-12 were not lost to the national health service. Each was made available to the NHS in the following financial year, as the 2012-13 underspend has been made available to NHS England, for high quality sustainable health services.
	The latest published surpluses, for financial years 2008-09 to 2012-13, for primary care trusts (PCTs) in Merseyside are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £000 
			 Merseyside PCTs 2008-09 annual accounts surplus 2009-10 annual accounts surplus 2010-11 annual accounts surplus 2011-12 annual accounts surplus 2012-13 Quarter 3 forecast surplus 
			 Halton and St Helens 420 295 500 500 2,689 
			 Knowsley 4,819 576 1,610 1,617 1,650 
			 Liverpool 6,429 5,287 14,768 9,204 4,941 
			 Sefton 287 498 2,500 2,548 2,624 
			 Wirral 3,310 2,047 2,031 2,001 3,088 
		
	
	The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2012-13 provided the following guidance on financial planning and surplus management:
	“Strong financial management and control during 2012/13 will be crucial to ensure successful delivery through transition and into the reformed NHS landscape.
	As with previous years, the aggregate 2011/12 SHA and PCT surplus will be carried forward into 2012/13. We shall continue to draw down the surplus generated from previous years in a planned and managed way.
	The expected level of the national SHA and PCT surplus drawdown will be £150 million, based on the 2011/12 quarter one forecast. It is expected that the surplus deployment will be primarily available to SHA clusters to support the successful delivery of transition.
	It is a requirement that no PCT or SHA will plan for a deficit in 2012/13. PCTs carrying legacy debt into 2012/13 must clear it.”
	Local financial plans were constructed and agreed with strategic health authority clusters, in line with the strategic requirements set out in the Operating Framework for the NHS in England.
	None of these PCTs added significant further underspends to their cumulative underspend position in 2011-12. Liverpool PCT specifically utilised £5,564,000 of its cumulative underspend in 2011-12.

Radiotherapy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the maximum travel time for cancer patients to receive radiotherapy treatment.

Anna Soubry: The Department has made no estimate of the maximum travel time for cancer patients to receive radiotherapy treatment.
	The National Radiotherapy Advisory Group report Radiotherapy: developing a world class service for England, published in 2007, stated that 45 minutes travel to time should be seen as best practice, although it recognised that this is not achievable in all areas. The report also found the vast majority of the population already live within 45 minutes of a radiotherapy centre. A copy of this report has already been placed in the Library.

Radiotherapy: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to introduce flexibility on the tariff for radiotherapy to enable smaller satellite radiotherapy units to meet demand in rural areas.

Daniel Poulter: A mandatory national tariff was introduced in 2013-14 for external beam radiotherapy services. The tariff is being introduced in a staged way, with a requirement for commissioners to move at least half way from local to national prices in what they pay providers in 2013-14. Types of radiotherapy other than external beam continue to be subject to local agreement on price setting.
	However, a national payment system can never reflect the reality of the most innovative care delivered locally. In 2013-14, where commissioners and providers find that the payment by Payment for Results rules prevent them from doing the best for patients, local variation is permitted. Flexibility in the national price paid is permitted where there are plans to redesign services to support better care for patients, whether it is close to home, more convenient or of higher quality. The application of any flexibility requires agreement by the commissioner and provider.
	Under the Health and Social Care Act, responsibility for payment system design and price-setting transfers from the Department to NHS England and Monitor for the 2014-15 national tariff and beyond. The national tariff will continue to include provisions for local commissioners and providers to agree to vary the national price or establish a new unit of payment, under the rules for local payment variation. The circumstances when these will be permitted is under review, but local payment variations will be promoted where these will be in the best interests of local patients.
	The Act also provides for ‘local modifications’ to be made to national prices in circumstances where it would be uneconomic for the provider to provide the service at the national price. It is anticipated that these arrangements will come into force from April 2014.

Slaughterhouses: Horses

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many horses, in which abattoirs, have been slaughtered without the presence of a Government vet in the last five years.

Anna Soubry: Official veterinarians, on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), are present during processing of all horses presented for slaughter in FSA approved establishments in the United Kingdom.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions hospitals operated by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust have declared a black alert in (a) each of the last three years and (b) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	We have written to John Cowdall, chair of the University Hospital of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Visual Impairment

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to tackle preventable sight loss in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Early detection is essential to tackling preventable sight loss. A range of treatment and services are in place in the national health service to deal with the key causes of preventable sight loss. The provision of free sight tests for children, older people and those at risk of eye disease remains central to our plans; with 12.3 million NHS sight tests provided in England in 2011-12. A comprehensive programme of diabetic retinopathy screening in England has ensured that in the 12 months up to March 2013, 99% of people with diabetes were offered screening. The NHS continues to provide a range of successful treatment for cataracts, wet age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. The Public Health Outcomes Framework for 2013-16 will include an indicator on preventable sight loss. This will support commissioners in planning eye care services for local populations.

Visual Impairment

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of preventable sight loss in the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the variations in levels of preventable sight loss in the UK by (a) local authority, (b) age, (c) disability, (d) ethnicity, (e) gender and (f) socio-economic group; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: No assessment of this information has been made centrally in the format requested.
	There is a range of information already available about levels of preventable sight loss. The new indicator currently under development as part of the 2013-16 Public Health Outcomes Framework will bring this together in a single place. The indicator is made up of four sub-indicators which will measure the crude rates of age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and of the rate of sight loss certifications per 100,000 population. This data are being collected from 1 April 2013.
	The sub-indicators for this indicator refer to different age groups appropriate to the cause of the sight loss. For age-related macular degeneration this is aged 65 and over, for glaucoma aged 40 and over, and for diabetic eye disease age 12 and over.
	Baseline data for 2010-11 were published in November 2012 broken down by local authority. They are available at:
	www.phoutcomes.info/public-health-outcomes-framework#gid/1000044/par/E12000004

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not currently have any officials out on secondment to the four largest accountancy firms.

Advertising Agencies: Conditions of Employment

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 on advertising agencies.

Jo Swinson: The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) 2006 Regulations (TUPE) are currently being reviewed under the Red Tape Challenge and the Government’s Employment Law Review. The consultation ran from 17 January to 11 April 2013. We received around 180 responses to our recent consultation, including responses from organisations representing the advertising and marketing industries. We are now assessing all the evidence we have received.
	The Government intends to issue its response to the consultation in early July.

Apprentices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the apprentices employed by his Department are aged (a) under 19, (b) 19 to 25, (c) 26 to 30, (d) 31 to 59 and (e) over 60 years old.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently employs apprentices in the following age ranges:
	
		
			 Age range Number of apprentices 
			 Under 19 1 
			 19-25 5 
			 26-30 1 
			 31-59 22 
			 Over 60 1

Apprentices: Transport

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department makes available for apprentices to ensure that the cost and availability of transport is not a barrier to their taking up placements.

David Willetts: There is no central Government support available towards travel costs, but some local authorities do offer discounts or concessions for young people on apprenticeships, as they do for those in other forms of learning.
	Apprentices who were unemployed before joining the programme may benefit from a travel discount card operated by Jobcentre Plus.
	The key distinction between apprenticeships and other forms of learning is that they are real paid jobs and as an employee, apprentices earn as they learn.

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has given to local enterprise partnerships on support for the arts and creative industries.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recognises the growth potential of creative industries and works with local partners to secure these opportunities. Local enterprise partnerships themselves determine local economic priorities and plans, free from government intervention, in keeping with the Government's localism agenda. However, Government is ready to assist by securing a competitive fiscal and regulatory environment through the industrial strategy.

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the contribution made by local enterprise partnerships to growth in the creative industries.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no estimate of the contribution made by local enterprise partnerships to growth in the creative industries. Local enterprises partnerships are best placed to understand how best their local economies can support growth.

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (a) how much funding his Department allocated to and (b) what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Jo Swinson: The Department has not provided any funding and has not held any contracts with the Big Society Network in the years in question.

Business: Education

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage greater partnership between the business community and educationalists.

David Willetts: We are actively encouraging employers to engage with educationalists in schools and the further and higher education sectors. We want to ensure that the skills required to aid the UK's growing economy are delivered and that those in education are inspired by employers.
	Current activities include the Employer Ownership Pilot which tests new ways for employers to lead vocational skills training in close collaboration with sector partners, further education (FE) colleges, schools and others.
	BIS, along with partner organisations, provided development funding for a National Centre for Universities and Business which was launched in January 2013. The NCUB
	http://www.ncub.co.uk/
	will gather evidence, bring together university and business leaders, and share best practice. It will cover all aspects of HE-business working, including skill needs, work experience and graduate recruitment.
	We also encourage young people to consider the options open to them in industry and business by showing them the possibilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through STEM ambassadors and apprenticeship ambassadors, who promote higher learning through the vocational route to young people. Organisations such as Business in the Community promote the world of work in schools and the changes we have brought in the recent Skills Strategy “Rigour and Responsiveness” will make FE colleges even more responsive to local business needs.
	The challenge is for Government, employers and educationalists to work together and we are already playing our part in that.

Business: Government Assistance

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department offers to small and medium-sized enterprises who want to expand in the (a) EU and (b) rest of the world.

Michael Fallon: UKTI help for companies seeking to export to the EU, and the rest of the world includes the support of a network of international trade advisers in the UK regions; access to UKTI teams in almost 100 overseas markets; help with market visits, trade missions and overseas exhibitions; market-specific information on nearly 100 markets on the UKTI website; and advice on how to access 100 specifically selected high value opportunities. An expected 20,000 companies will attend the 400 activities delivered by UKTI in 2012-13.
	These activities are complemented by specific campaigns and focussed on key markets. For instance, UKTI support for UK companies who want to expand in the EU, includes an 'Emerging Europe' campaign, focused on opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe; and a Nordic and Baltic Network, launched by the Lord Mayor in May 2013.
	Outside the EU, UKTI identified 20 key emerging markets where it particularly focuses its efforts, by undertaking outreach events throughout the UK; working with business-led partner organisations such as the China-Britain Business Council and UK-India Business Council; and tackling barriers to trade, for instance, through Government-to-Government dialogues, such as those held with India, Russia, UAE, and Vietnam in 2012. For example, Export Week in May 2013 saw over 80 events across the UK attended by more than 3,600 businesses focussing on business opportunities in 20 high growth markets.

Green Investment Bank

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many projects have been allocated financial support through the Green Investment Bank; and what the value of such projects is.

Michael Fallon: Details of the commitments made to date by the Green Investment Bank are available on the bank's website at:
	www.greeninvestmentbank.com/what-we-do/

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of accepted undergraduate students enrolled in 2012-13 who received credit and advanced standing as a result of credit earned in other higher education institutions in previous years.

David Willetts: There are no data available to inform such an estimate. It is for individual higher education institutions to determine whether and how they use academic credit and the extent to which they accept credit earned in other higher education institutions. We understand however that the majority of institutions use the “Higher education credit framework for England” to align credit values for their programmes.

Higher Education: Sunderland

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in Sunderland Central constituency applied to attend university in academic year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how many such applicants were successful.

David Willetts: The table shows the number of students who applied via the UCAS application system.
	Applicants who were not accepted for entry will include: individuals who did not receive any offer; individuals who received an offer (conditional or unconditional) but decided not to go to university; individuals who received a conditional offer and failed to meet the specific conditions (e.g. they did not achieve certain grades); and individuals who decided to withdraw from the UCAS system.
	
		
			 Applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions from Sunderland Central constituency 
			 Academic year Applicants Accepted applicants 
			 2010/11 945 677 
			 2011/12 905 690 
			 Source: UCAS

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with local enterprise partnerships to discuss the arts and the creative industries.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) regularly meets with local enterprise partnerships and those meetings cover a wide range of issues relevant to any locality in which the creative industries might feature.

Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will amend the criteria for successful consideration of bids to the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative to include explicit reference to (a) sustainability and (b) industries using high levels of resources such as water and energy.

Michael Fallon: In designing AMSCI Rounds 3 and 4 we drew on feedback from a wide range of eligible companies and other organisations. The Competition Brief for AMSCI Rounds 3 and 4, which set out the criteria to be applied for the forthcoming competitions, was published on 28 February. It would be inappropriate to make changes to the criteria at this stage with the competitions in progress.

Post Offices: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will support the re-location of post offices to new premises in rural villages where this is necessary to ensure the long-term viability of the post office.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd's Network Transformation programme is designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the network and specifically provides for the relocation of post office services to new premises nearby where the incumbent sub-postmaster wishes to leave the network.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) location and (b) value is of each property his Department owns in Scotland.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not own any properties in Scotland.

Regional Growth Fund: North West

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) Greater Manchester as a result of grants made from Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: There are no Rounds 1 and 2 Regional Growth Fund (RGF) projects located in Bury North constituency. 17 (four in Round 1 and 13 in Round 2) projects and programmes in Greater Manchester were awarded RGF support and between them they have pledged to deliver 20,500 jobs. The majority of these schemes started during 2012-13, have just finished their first year and are committed to deliver these jobs between now and 2021-22 in a way that is sustainable in the long term.

Regional Growth Fund: North West

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created as a result of loans made from (a) Round one and (b) Round two of the Regional Growth Fund to companies in (i) Bury North constituency and (ii) Greater Manchester;
	(2)  how many companies in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) Greater Manchester have been given a loan from (i) Round one and (ii) Round two of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: No loans have been made to companies in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in rounds 1 and 2 of the Regional Growth Fund.

Regional Growth Fund: North West

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created as a result of grants made from Round one of the Regional Growth Fund to companies in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) Greater Manchester;
	(2)  how many companies in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) Greater Manchester have been awarded a grant from (i) Round one and (ii) Round two of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: There are no Rounds 1 and 2 Regional Growth Fund (RGF) projects located in Bury North constituency. 17 (four in Round 1 and 13 in Round 2) projects and programmes in Greater Manchester were awarded RGF support and between them they have pledged to deliver 20,500 jobs. The majority of these schemes started during 2012-13, have just finished their first year and are committed to deliver these jobs between now and 2021-22 in a way that is sustainable in the long term.

Shipping: Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect that applications from the maritime sector to the Employer Ownership of Skills Fund could have on (a) the maritime skills base, (b) seafarer training and (c) ratings training.

David Willetts: Applications are appraised against the published investment criteria, which include, for example, consideration of the quality and impact of the training proposed: applications must set out a convincing, evidence-based case to demonstrate how they will prove an effective way to make significant progress on the skills needs identified.
	Round 1 of the pilots received no applications from the maritime sector. Round 2 applications are currently in the assessment process and are confidential, so we cannot comment on the specifics of any proposals.

Shipping: Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which applications have been submitted to the Employer Ownership of Skills Fund from the maritime sector; what decision was taken on each such application; and when he expects decisions to be reached on any outstanding applications from the maritime sector.

David Willetts: Round 1 of the pilots received no applications from the maritime sector.
	There has been a very high interest in the second round of the competition. No lead employers are from the maritime sector, but there are bids that cover multiple sectors, for example the marine sector, that may have a maritime element. These are still under appraisal. Ministerial decisions on projects selected to progress are expected in July, with public announcements to follow later in the year.

Tesco

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) local authority and (b) Government grants Tesco Stores Ltd received in the last 10 years; and what information his Department holds on Tesco Stores Ltd receiving grants from the EU in the same time period.

Michael Fallon: We have not found any record of grants made to Tesco Stores Ltd by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
	BIS does not hold information on grant payments by local authorities, other central Government Departments or from the EU.

Vocational Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment is made of the effect that applicants to the Employer Ownership of Skills Fund will have on the industrial skills base when making a decision to grant funds.

David Willetts: All applications have been individually appraised and the effect on the skills base of the sector(s) concerned has been considered, with applications needing to demonstrate that they provide an effective way to make significant progress on the skills needs identified.

Vocational Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the Employer Ownership of Skills Fund has been allocated to date, in each industry.

David Willetts: A final figure for grant allocations is not yet available. The information following is our estimate and is still subject to change.
	
		
			 Round 1 estimate of funding allocations by sector 
			  Funding (£) 
			 Agricultural, food 2,291,990 
			 Automotive 3,919,223 
			 Business Services and Professional Services 11,452,000 
			 Construction and the built environment 12,941,247 
			 Creative and cultural 3,887,320 
			 Energy, including nuclear and utilities 5,912,981 
			 Hospitality, leisure and tourism 5,775,849 
			 ICT 2,145,000 
			 Logistics 999,100 
			 Manufacturing 18,133,502 
			 Mixed sectors 28,561,526 
			 Multiple 1,005,611 
			 Passenger transport 1,366,719 
			 Retail 4,287,162

Vocational Training: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to promote the Employer Ownership of Skills Fund amongst employers in Scotland.

David Willetts: While the Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) is open to employers based anywhere, the benefits must focus solely on England. This is because training is a devolved matter. No specific steps were therefore taken to promote EOP in Scotland.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the planning process for offshore wind farm applications and the involvement in that process of businesses in the UK; and what discussions he has had with the Secretaries of State for (a) Energy and Climate Change and (b) Communities and Local Government to ensure that UK businesses are able to benefit from an efficient and streamlined planning policy application.

Michael Fallon: BIS has not made any separate or specific assessment of the process. The cost reduction task force (CRTF) made recommendations in this area and BIS is part of the Offshore Wind Programme board which is overseeing the implementation of the CRTF report.
	Planning consents for offshore wind farms of more than 100MW are handled through the Planning Act 2008. The Government has already introduced a range of improvements to the consent regime through changes made in the Localism Act 2011, to the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013, and to secondary legislation and guidance. A formal review of the Planning Act consent regime is planned for 2014. BIS officials keep in close touch with their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Energy and Climate Change on matters relating to the operation of the planning regime.

PRIME MINISTER

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister how many officials in No. 10 Downing Street are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office. Cabinet Office does not have any staff on secondment to the four largest accountancy firms.

Departmental Responsibilities

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

David Cameron: No.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in her Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Maria Miller: No officials from either DCMS or the Government Equalities Office, which as a result of the machinery of government change in September 2012 was brought under my control, are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times she or her Department's Ministers and officials have met the Big Society Networks to discuss the funding or activities of the Britain's Personal Best project and its subsidiary in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 to date; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: All external meetings are published on the departmental website, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/foi-releases/

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (a) how much funding her Department allocated to and (b) what contracts her Department held with the big society network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not made any payments to the big society networks; neither do we hold any existing contracts with them.

Culture

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the proportion of people that engaged with or participated in cultural activities at least three times in each year for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: Data on engagement and participation in the arts, heritage, museums, archives and libraries are published quarterly in our Taking Part Statistical release at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taking-part-2012-13-quarter-3-statistical-release
	We do not regularly publish a combined measure of cultural activities; however, we do provide ONS with a combined measure which they publish as part of the ONS National Well-being measure under the "What we do" domain at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-303186
	
		
			  Percentage of people who have engaged with, or participated in, arts or cultural activity at least three times in the last year(1) 
			 2008-09 80.8 
			 2009-10 81.6 
			 2010-11 81.0 
			 2011-12 83.9 
			 (1 )The measure covers arts, heritage, museums, archives and libraries.

Government Departments: Telephone Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has any plans to require Government Departments to reduce their use of 0844 and 0845 numbers.

Edward Vaizey: This is an administrative decision that each Department needs to make for itself. DCMS does not have a role in co-ordinating such a course of action across Government.

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Minister for Communications, Culture and the Creative Arts will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland of 13 May 2013 about the sale of personal data by mobile telephone companies.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS has consulted the Information Commissioner's Office on this case, and is consulting other key parties as appropriate. We will be responding to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland's letter when we have had responses to those enquiries.

Museums and Galleries

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department takes to ensure that museums and charities follow Charity Trust guidance when auctioning archive material no longer deemed as a necessary part of their collection.

Edward Vaizey: When considering potential disposals from a collection, DCMS would expect museums to observe their governing legislation or constitution, including relevant charity law, to be guided by the Code of Ethics for Museums and the Disposal Guidelines published by the Museums Association, and where appropriate, to adhere to the Museum Accreditation Standard administered by Arts Council England.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property her Department owns in Scotland.

Hugh Robertson: The Department does not own any property in Scotland.

Science Museum Group

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions Ministers in her Department have had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the future of the (a) Science Museum Group and (b) Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester).

Edward Vaizey: Department for Culture, Media and Sport Ministers and officials regularly meet colleagues from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss a range of matters.

Senior Civil Servants

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department expects to appoint a replacement for Permanent Secretary, Jonathan Stephens.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Cabinet Office and Civil Service Commissioners on the recruitment of a new Permanent Secretary, and will conduct the process in line with the Civil Service Commissioners rules.

Smithfield Market

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will consider listing the Smithfield (a) General Market and (b) Fish Market in order to save them from demolition.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State will consider listing Smithfield General Market and the Fish Market if an application, containing significant new evidence on the buildings special interest, is made to her statutory advisers, English Heritage. An assessment was made in 2003-04 and the Government of the day decided there were not sufficient grounds to justify this listing.

Sports: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated under the Places People Play programme to projects in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) Cumbria to date.

Hugh Robertson: Barrow and Furness constituency has received a total of £149,459 through Places People Play. This funding was for three separate projects: Barrow Island for pitch improvements, Furness Academy, to build a 400 metre synthetic athletics tracks and to Barrow Island ARLFC, for refurbishments to their changing rooms.
	In total, Cumbria has had 28 successful projects through PPP, with a total award value of £1,633,390.

Sports: Public Participation

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the participation targets set by Sport England for sports governing bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The participation targets, set by Sport England for sports governing bodies, are available at the following link:
	http://www.sportengland.org/funding/ngb_investment/whole_sport_plans_2013-17.aspx

Sports: Public Participation

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of population changes on participation levels recorded in the Active People Survey; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Since the Active People Survey began, in 2005-06, the number of people playing sport has always been calculated by applying the rate of participation observed (in Active People) to the Office for National Statistics population data for the relevant period. Participation rates are published alongside levels in the statistical release.

Tourism: Marketing

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the different tourism promotion bodies in the UK.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS has made no such assessment as tourism is a devolved matter. However, including match-funding from tourism partners and the private sector, the Government has provided over £140 million to Visit Britain and Visit England to promote tourism in England and the UK to deliver on our target to deliver an additional 4.7 million international visits and £2.3 billion spend during the period 2011-2015. The Government works closely with both organisations to monitor progress against these targets, manage risk and ensure good value for money.

Tourist Attractions: Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with the Northern Ireland Executive on promoting the Titanic Experience in Belfast.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has not held any discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on promoting the Titanic Experience in Belfast. Titanic Belfast was visited by the then Minister for Tourism, my hon. Friend the Member for Weston-super-Mare (John Penrose), on 7 February 2012, in advance of its opening.

World War I: Anniversaries

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support she plans to offer local authorities and other interested groups to help mark the role of Barrow-in-Furness shipyard in World War One during the upcoming centenary commemorations.

Hugh Robertson: The Government is leading the nation in acts of remembrance and enabling communities and individuals to participate in the centenary, in a way which is meaningful for them. Building on support of, so far, £13 million for first world war projects from within its existing funding framework, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) recently launched a £6 million small grants programme to help communities mark the centenary of the war and explore their local heritage. HLF has a number of initiatives in place to ensure that all communities have access to its funds, such as the identification of priority development areas, which includes Barrow. Development areas will not automatically receive funding, but special efforts will be made to raise awareness of the availability of funding, and to give them practical help to make applications able to compete with those
	from other areas. Additionally, the Imperial War Museums' Centenary Partnership is a network of over 1,000 not for profit cultural and educational organisations, including local and regional groups. This network provides access to resources, expertise, a special logo and networking opportunities to enable millions of people across the world to discover more about life in the first world war.